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LEADING  FACTS 
OF  HISTORY  SERIES 

By  D.  H.  MONTGOMERY 

BEGINNER'S  AMERICAN  HISTORY 
(Biographies  of  Eminent  Americans) 

AN  ELEMENTARY  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


THE  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN 
HISTORY  (Revised  Edition) 

THE  STUDENT'S  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

(Revised  Edition) 

THE  LEADING  FACTS  OF  ENGLISH 
HISTORY  (Revised  Edition) 

THE  LEADING  FACTS  OF  FRENCH 
HISTORY 


TEbe  OLeaMna  jf acts  of  HMstorg  Series 

THE  LEADING  FACTS  OF 
AMERICAN  HISTORY 


BY 

D.  H.  MONTGOMERY 


:  America  is  another  word  for  Opportunity" 

Emerson 


REVISED  EDITION 


GINN  AND   COMPANY 

BOSTON   .  NEW  YORK  •  CHICAGO   ■   LONDON 


rw 


COPYRIGHT   1890,  1895,  1896,  1899,  1910,  BY  D.  H.  MONTGOMERY 

ENTERED   AT  STATIONERS'  HALL 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


813.8 


EDUCATION  DEPT, 


GINN  AND  COMPANY-  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


D-H-M 

TO 

D-A-M-AND-D-W-M 


M193176 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

This  work  is  based  on  a  careful  study  of  the  highest  recognized 
authorities  on  the  subject.  Its  purpose  is  to  present  in  a  clear, 
connected,  and  forcible  manner  the  important  events  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country. 

The  author  has  had  three  chief  objects  in  view,  —  accuracy 
of  statement,  simplicity  of  style,  impartiality  of  treatment. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work  his  grateful  acknowledgments 
are  due  to  John  Franklin  Jameson,  Director  of  the  Department 
of  Historical  Research  of  the  Carnegie  Institution  of  Washing- 
ton, for  his  valuable  assistance  in  the  revision  of  the  proof  sheets. 
The  author  also  desires  to  express  his  thanks  for  the  use  of  books 
and  papers  in  the  Library  of  Harvard  University,  the  Library  of 
Congress,  and  the  Library  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
and  he  is  especially  indebted  to  the  Librarian  and  the  attend- 
ants of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  for  the  aid  they  have  so  courte- 
ously rendered  him. 

The  present  edition  has  been  revised  throughout  and  brought 
up  to  date.  DAVID  H.  MONTGOMERY 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Leading  Dates X1V 

TEXT 

I.  The  Discovery  and  Naming  of  America,  1492-1522    .     .  1 

II.  Attempts  at  Exploring  and  Colonizing  America      .     .  20 

III.  Permanent    English    and    French    Settlements;    the 

Thirteen  Colonies 41 

IV.  The  Revolution;  the  Constitution,   1763-1789      •     •     •      T34 
V.  The  Union  —  National   Development;   the  Federalist 

Party  in  Power l77 

VI.  The  Democratic  Party'  in  Power 191 

VII.  The  New  Democracy 226 

VIII.  The  Civil  War,   1861-1865  ;  the    Republican   Party   in 

Power 28° 

IX.  Reconstruction  — the  New  Nation,   1865  to  the  Pres- 
ent Time 328 

APPENDIX 

1.  THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE  (WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION 

AND  NOTES) * 

2.  THE    CONSTITUTION   (WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION    AND    NOTES)        .  VI 

3.  TABLE    OF    ADMISSION    OF    STATES xx*v 

4.  TABLE    OF    PRESIDENTS XXV111 

5.  LIST    OF    BOOKS    ON    AMERICAN    HISTORY           XXX 

6.  TABLE    OF    BOUNDARIES    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES XXXVii 

7.  TABLES  OF  POPULATION  AND  REPRESENTATION  OF  THE  UNITED 

STATES XXxix 

8.  QUESTIONS           x^ 

9.  TOPICAL    ANALYSIS ^v^ 

INDEX    (WITH     NUMEROUS     DATES     AND     THE     PRONUNCIATION     OF 

DIFFICULT    WORDS) lxx"i 

xi 


LIST  OF  LARGER  MAPS 

Page 

I.  The  World  about  the  Time  of  Columbus 5 

II.  Expeditions  of  De  Soto  and  Coronado 23 

III.  Early  Voyages  to  America  and  around  the  World 29 

IV.  Indian  Tribes  of  the  United  States  (colored) 36 

V.   Physical  Features  of  the  United  States  (with  type  page)     .     .    42-43 

VI.   First  Settlements  made  on  the  Eastern  Coast  of  North  America     51 

VII.   Homes  of  the  Pilgrims  in  England  and  Holland 67 

VIII.  The  Thirteen  English  Colonies  and  the  French  Settlements  .     .111 

IX.  The  French  and  Indian  Wars II4 

X.  The  Revolutionary  War  —  Northern  States  (colored)     .     .     .     .138 

XI.  The  Revolutionary  War  —  the  Southern  States  (colored)   .     .     .164 

XII.  The  United  States  at  the  Close  of  the  Revolution  (colored)     .     .170 

XIII.  The  Northwest  Territory,  1787  (colored) 172 

XIV.  The  United  States  in  1 792  (colored) 194 

XV.  The  War  of  18 1 2 203 

XVI.  The  Missouri  Compromise,  1820 214 

XVII.  The  Mexican  War 253 

XVIII.  Area  of  Freedom  and  Slavery,  1857 270 

XIX.  The  United  States,  1 861 -1865  (double  page,  colored)    .     .     .     .286 

XX.  Territorial  Growth  of  the  United  States  (double  page,  colored)    .  334 

XXI.  The  United  States  at  the  Present  Time  (double  page,  colored)    .   360 

XXII.  The  United  States  and  Island  Possessions  (colored) 382 


LIST  OF  LARGER   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

I.   Stuart's  Washington Frontispiece 

II.  Columbus  approaching  Land n 

III.  Captain  John  Smith 49 

IV.  Penn's  Charter 102-103 

V.  Washington  before  the  Revolution 118 

VI.  Benjamin  Franklin 133 

VII.   Franklin's  Letter  to  Strahan  (script) 147 

VIII.  Thomas  Jefferson 151 

IX.  Alexander  Hamilton 181 

X.   Henry  Clay 220 

XI.  John  C.  Calhoun 233 

XII.   Daniel  Webster 235 

XIII.  Abraham  Lincoln 275 

XIV.  Grant's  "  Unconditional  Surrender  "  Letter  (script) 293 

XV.  General  Lee 299 

XVI.  Lincoln's  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  (script) 303 

XVII.  The  High -Water-Mark  Monument  at  Gettysburg 304 

XVIII.   Soldiers'  Monument  at  Gettysburg 305 

XIX.  View  from  Lookout  Mountain 311 

XX.  General  Grant 313 

XXI.  Admiral  Farragut  with  Porter  and  Foote  (Civil  War)    .     .     .     .317 
XXII.  Generals   Sherman,   Sheridan,  Thomas,  Hooker,   and  Hancock 

(Civil  War) 319 

XXIII.  Sherman's  Field  Order  announcing  Lee's  surrender      .     .     .     .322 

XXIV.  Lee's  Letter  to  Grant  (script) 323 

XXV.   Spanish  War,  —  Naval  Commanders 375 

XXVI.   Spanish  War, — Army  Commanders 379 


LEADING   DATES 


1492.   Columbus  discovers  America  (§  n).  1793^ 

1497.   Cabot  discovers  the  continent  of  North  1795. 

America  (§  14).  1798- 
1541.  Discovery  of  the  Mississippi  (§  21). 

1585.  English  colonization  of  America  be-  1803. 

gins  (§27).  1807. 

1607.   Permanent    English   colonization    of  1811. 

Virginia  (§46).  1812. 

1619.   Representative     Government    estab-  1814. 

lished  in  Virginia  (§51).  1816. 

1619.  Negro  Slavery  introduced  (§  52). 

1620.  The  Pilgrims  settle  Plymouth  (§  7^).  1819. 
1626.  Purchase  of  Manhattan  Island  (§  60).  1820. 
1630.  The  Puritans  settle  Boston  (§77).  1823. 
1636.  Entire  Religious  Toleration  in  Rhode  1825. 

Island  (§  108).  1830. 

1636.  Harvard  College  founded  (§  80).  1831. 

1639.  The  Constitution  of  Connecticut  (§96).  1832. 
1639.  First  Printing  Press  (§  80). 

1643.  New  England  Confederation  (§81).  1832. 

1647.  Public  Schools  established  (§  80).  1837. 

1649.  Act  of  Toleration  in  Maryland  (§  102).  1844. 

1675.  King  Philip's  War  (§  86).  1845. 

1676.  The  Bacon  Rebellion  (§55).  1845. 
1704.   First  Newspaper  established  (§  146). 

1763.  Treaty  of  Peace  with  France  (§  143).  1846. 

1765.  The  Stamp  Act  (§157).  1846- 

1773.  TheColonistsdestroytaxedTea(§i59).  1848. 

1774.  First  Continental  Congress  (§  160). 

1775.  Lexington  and  Concord  (§  161).  1848. 

1775.  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  (§  163).  1850. 

1776.  Declaration  of  Independence  (§  167).  1854. 

1777.  Burgoyne's  Surrender  (§  179).  1857. 
1781.  Surrender  of  Cornwallis  (§  189).  1861. 
1781.  Articles  of  Confederation  (§  192).  1863. 
1783.  Treaty  of  Peace  (§191).  1863. 
1787.  Ordinance  for  the  Northwest  Terri-  1863. 

tory  (§  195). 

1787.  The  Constitution  adopted  (§  196).  1867. 

1789.  The  Constitution  goes  into  operation  1867. 

(§  199)-  1869. 

1789.  The  First  Tariff  (§  200).  1871. 

1790.  Provision  for  paying  off  the   Public 

Debt  (§201).  1879. 

1790.  The  First  Census  (§  202).  1883. 

1791.  First    Bank    of    the     United    States  1898. 

(§202).  1898. 

1792.  Rise  of  Political  Parties  (§  203).  1900. 

1792.  Claim  to  Oregon  (§  216).  1903. 

1793.  Washington's  Proclamation  of  Neu-  1908. 

trality  (§203). 


Invention  of  the  Cotton  Gin  (§  205). 
Jay's  Treaty  (§  207). 
1799.  The  Kentucky  and  the  Virginia 

Resolutions  (§  210). 
Purchase  of  Louisiana  (§215). 
The  First  Steamboat  (§  220). 
The  National  Road  begun  (§  244). 
War  with  England  (§  226). 
The  Hartford  Convention  (§  233). 
Second    Bank  of  the   United  States 

(§265).    First  Savings  Bank  (§423). 
Purchase  of  Florida  (§  238). 
The  Missouri  Compromise  (§  243). 
The  Monroe  Doctrine  (§246). 
The  Erie  Canal  opened  (§  250). 
The  First  Passenger  Railway  (§  254). 
The  Liberator  published  (§  262). 
Jackson   vetoes    the    United    States 

Bank  Bill  (§  265). 
Nullification  in  South  Carolina  (§  267) . 
Great  Financial  Panic  (§275). 
First  Telegraph  Line  opened  (§  284). 
Annexation  of  Texas  (§  285). 
The  Horse  Reaper  comes  into  use 

(§303). 
Ether  begins  to  come  into  use  (§  284). 
1848.  The  Mexican  War  (§  290). 
Discovery     of     Gold     in     California 

(§295)- 
Mexican  Land  Cessions  (§  294). 
Compromise  on  Slavery  (§  299). 
Kansas-Nebraska  Act  (§  305). 
The  Dred  Scott  Case  (§  310). 
The  Civil  War  begins  (§  320). 
National  Banks  established  (§  324). 
Emancipation  Proclamation  (§  340). 
Battles  of  Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg 

(§§  343,  344)- 
Reconstruction  Act  (§  364). 
Purchase  of  Alaska  (§  368). 
First  Railway  to  the  Pacific  (§  370). 
Arbitration     Treaty    with     England 

(§374)- 
Specie  Payment  resumed  (§  379)- 
Civil  Service  Reform  (§  381). 
War  with  Spain  (§414). 
Territorial  Expansion  (§419). 
The  Gold  Standard  Act  (§425). 
The  Panama  Canal  (§  425). 
Meeting  for  the  Conservation  of  our 

Natural  Resources  (§  430). 


THE   LEADING  FACTS  OF 
AMERICAN   HISTORY 

I 

"  He  [the  Most  High]  gave  to  thee  [Columbus]  the  keys  of  those  gates  of 
the  Ocean  .  .  .  which  were  fast  closed  with  such  mighty  chains." — Dream 
of  Columbus,  see  his  Letter  to  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain,  1503. 

THE   DISCOVERY  AND   NAMING  OF 
AMERICA1 

(1492-1522) 

COLUMBUS    •    CABOT    •    AMERIGO  VESPUCCI2 

i.  Birth  of  Columbus;  Ideas  about  the  Earth;  the  "Sea  of 
Darkness."  Christopher  Columbus,  the  discoverer  of  America, 
was  born  in  Genoa,  Italy.3 

At  that  time  the  earth  was  generally  supposed  to  be  flat,  to  be 
much  smaller  than  it  actually  is,  and  to  be  habitable  on  its  upper 
side  only.  The  countries  laid  down  on  the  rude  and  imperfect 
maps  then  in  use  were  the  continent  of  Europe,  part  of  Asia,  a 
narrow  strip  of  northern  and  eastern  Africa,  and  a  few  islands,  the 
largest  of  which  were  the  British  Isles  and  Iceland.    (Map,  p.  2.) 

1  Reference  Books.  R.  G.  Thwaites'  "  Colonies,"  pp.  21-25  5  W.  C.  Bryant  and 
Gay's  "United  States"  (revised  edition),  I,  ch.  3,  5,  6;  J.  Fiske's  "Discovery 
of  America,"  I,  148-255,  335-446;  W.  Irving's  "Columbus"  (abridged);  T. 
W.  Higginson's  "American  Explorers,"  pp.  21-32;  E.  G.  Bourne's  "Spain  in 
America,"  pp.  9-60  ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Source  Book,"  pp.  1-6 ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Ameri- 
can History  by  Contemporaries,"  I,  28-49.  See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books 
in  the  Appendix. 

2  Amerigo  Vespucci  (a-ma-re'go  ves-poot'che) . 

8  The  date  of  the  birth  of  Columbus  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty ;  it  ranges  all 
the  way  from  1430  to  1456. 


2  I^EADI^  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY     [850-1000 


The  Atlantic  was  called  the  "  Sea  of  Darkness."  People  gen- 
erally believed  that  it  was  covered  with  thick  black  fogs,  and  was 
guarded  by  terrible  monsters  which  made  it  impassable. 

Long  before  Columbus  was  born,  storm-driven  sailors  chanced 
to  discover  the  Canaries  and  the  Azores.  These  islands,  with 
Iceland,  marked  the  western  limit  of  voyages.    Navigators,   even 

with  the  help  of  the  mariner's 
compass,  did  not  dare  venture 
beyond  them. 

All  the  countries  of  south- 
ern and  eastern  Asia  were  at 
that  time  known  under  the 
general  name  of  the  Indies. 
2.  The  Voyages  and  Dis- 
coveries of  the  Northmen.  But 
in  saying  this  we  must  make 
one  exception  :  the  Northmen, 
those  daring  sailors  of  Norway, 
Sweden,  and  Denmark,  from 
whom  the  English-speaking 
race  has  largely  sprung,1  braved 
even  the  tempests  and  the  ter- 
rors of  the  Atlantic.  By  acci- 
dent they  made  a  number  of 
remarkable  discoveries  several  centuries  before  Columbus.  Though 
they  had  no  compass,  —  no  guide,  in  fact,  but  the  sun  and  the 
stars,  —  yet  they  frequently  made  long  voyages  in  rudely  built 
vessels  not  larger  than  fishing  boats. 

In  these  voyages  the  Northmen  discovered  and  settled  Iceland 
(850)  and,  later,  Greenland.    Finally,  about  the  year  1000,  Leif 

1  The  Northmen  invaded  and  permanently  settled  the  northeastern  half  of  England  in 
the  9th  century.  In  the  next  century  they  established  themselves  in  northwestern  France, 
which  district  was  called  from  them  Normandy  (the  country  of  the  Normans,  or  Northmen) .  In 
1066  the  Normans  crossed  the  Channel  and  conquered  England.  Hence  many  English,  since 
the  gth  century,  and  their  descendants  in  America  must  have  sprung  from  the  Northmen. 

Furthermore,  Norwegian,  Swedish,  and  Danish  immigrants  have  come  to  America  in 
great  numbers  and  are  still  coming.  They  are  noted  for  their  intelligence,  industry,  and 
thrift,  and  they  make  excellent  citizens. 


, 

0 

g   %£ftSil    Asia    ^gF 
8    iC^c:              ^W 

\- 

c;    •'■-JLZSiMjr    ^^V      t-^   Si>> 

u,     ^?5>*%^                             ^ 

^S               1             y     Indian 

\              \         \     Ocean 

}        J 

\        : 

V 

Copy  of  a  Map  of  the  World  as 
known  in   1496 

The  faint,  dotted  outline  of  the  coast  of  Africa 

shows  the  unexplored  portion.   The  monsters 

represent  the  terrors  of  unknown  regions. 


1000] 


VINLAND 


Ericson,  a  Northman,  who  was  afterward  known  as  "  Leif  the 
Lucky,"  discovered  the  coast  of  North  America.  He  named  the 
new  country  Vinland,1  because  of  the  quantities  of  wild  grapes 
which  he  found  there. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  where  Vinland  was,  but  it  seems  prob- 
able that  it  was  on  some  part  of  the  coast  of  New  England  or 
Nova  Scotia. 

3.  The  Discovery  of  America  by  the  Northmen  had  no  Prac- 
tical Result.  But  although  it  is  interesting  to  know  that  the 
Northmen  visited  our  shores  as  early  as  the  year  1000,  still  their 
discovery  led  to  nothing.  The  North- 
men did  not  found  a  permanent  colony 
in  Vinland,  and  the  memory  of  it  grad- 
ually died  out. 

Columbus  never  seems  to  have 
heard  of  such  a 
country.  He  sailed 
on  his  famous 
voyage  nearly  five 
hundred  years  after 
"  Leif  the  Lucky  " 
landed  on  the  coast 
of  North  America. 
We  are  therefore 
quite  safe  in  saying 
that  when  Columbus  set  out  to  cross  the  Atlantic  one  half  the 
world  did  not  so  much  as  suspect  the  existence  of  the  other  half. 

4.  What  Land  Columbus  wished  to  reach;  Marco  Polo's 
Travels;  the  First  Reason  why  Columbus  wished  to  go  to  the 
Indies.  What,  then,  let  us  ask,  first  induced  Columbus  to  under- 
take a  voyage  that  no  other  man  of  that  age  dared  embark  upon  ? 
It  was  not  because  he  expected  to  find  a  new  continent  beyond 

1  The  Northmen  used  to  relate  accounts  of  their  voyages,  and  in  one  of  these  accounts, 
which  was  written  out  hundreds  of  years  later,  we  read :  "  And  when  spring  came  they  got 
ready  and  sailed  off ;  and  Leif  gave  a  name  to  the  land  after  its  sort,  arid  called  it  Vinland 
(Vineland).  They  sailed  then  .  .  .  until  they  saw  Greenland  .  .  .  after  that,  Leif  was  called 
1  Leif  the  Lucky.'  " 


Leif  Ericson's  Vessel 


4  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1453 

the  Atlantic,  for  no  one  then  expected  that.  What  he  set  out  to 
do  was  simply  to  find  a  new  way  to  reach  the  Indies  by  sailing 
westward. 

Columbus  burned  with  a  desire  to  explore  the  marvelous 
eastern  lands  which  had  been  described  by  the  great  Venetian 
traveler,  Marco  Polo,  more  than  two  hundred  years  before  (1260- 
1295).  Polo  had  made  an  overland  journey  to  India  and  China 
and  had  spent  nearly  thirty  years  there.  He  also  gave  some 
account  of  Japan,  —  a  country  which  Europe  never  had  heard 
of  before. 

Columbus  believed  that  God  had  chosen  him  to  go  out  as  a 
missionary  to  these  far-off  lands.  He  kept  that  belief  to  the  end. 
It  gave  a  certain  dignity  to  his  work,  and  made  his  life  noble  in 
many  ways. 

5.  The  Second  Reason  why  Columbus  wished  to  reach  the 
Indies.  But  the  question  naturally  arises,  if  Columbus  wished  to 
reach  the  Indies,  why  did  he  not  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
predecessor,  Marco  Polo  (§4),  and  go  overland  to  that  country  ? 

It  was  because  Columbus,  being  a  sailor,  naturally  wished  to 
open  up  direct  trade  by  water  with  the  rich  countries  of  the  East ; 
for  commerce  always  prefers  the  sea,  when  practicable,  as  the 
cheapest  and  easiest  route. 

In  that  age  the  people  of  Europe  used  great  quantities  of 
spices,  not  only  to  flavor  their  food  but  also  to  preserve  it.  They 
obtained  these  spices  from  the  Indies.  They  also  imported  silks, 
perfumes,  precious  stones,  and  many  other  articles  from  that  part 
of  the  world. 

Genoa  and  Venice  had  carried  on  this  trade  for  centuries ;  one 
by  way  of  the  Black  Sea,  the  other  by  the  Red  Sea  (Map,  p.  5), 
but  in  both  cases  the  goods  had  to  come  part  of  the  way  over- 
land. About  the  middle  of  the  15th  century  (1453)  the  Turks 
took  Constantinople  and  broke  up  the  Genoese  branch  of  the  trade 
with  the  Indies.  Later,  the  Venetian  branch  by  way  of  the  Red 
Sea  was  broken  up  by  the  same  people. 

6.  Attempt  of  the  Portuguese  to  reach  the  Indies  by  a  New 
Route.    This    great  change   compelled  the   nations    of  southern 


The  World  as  known  shortly  before  and  shortly  after  the 
Sailing  of  Columbus 

Light  arrows  show  voyages  made  up  to  1492  ;  light  track,  Da  Gama's  voyage,  1497-1498. 
Dark  arrows  show  voyages  of  Columbus  and  Cabot. 

White  crosses  show  countries  of  which  something  was  known  before  1492. 
White  area,  including  western  coast  of  Africa,  shows  the  world  as  known  shortly  before 
the  sailing  of  Columbus, 


6  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1487 

Europe  to  seek  a  new  route  to  the  Indies.  The  King  of  Portugal 
thought  that  possibly  he -might  find  a  way  round  the  continent 
of  Africa  into  the  Indian  Ocean.  No  one  then  knew  how  far 
the  "  Dark  Continent"  extended  southward.  The  King's  ships 
made  voyage  after  voyage  and  slowly  worked  their  way  down 
the  coast,  but  it  took  them  more  than  fifty  years  to  reach  the 
southern  point. 

Diaz,  the  Portuguese  navigator,  finally  got  to  that  point  (1487), 
but  he  had  such  a  rough  experience  that  he  named  it  the  Cape 
of  Storms.  When  he  returned  with  the  great  news  that  he  had 
actually  come  to  the  end  of  the  African  continent,  the  Portuguese 
monarch  felt  sure  that  he  could  accomplish  what  he  had  set  out 
to  do.  To  show  his  confidence  in  the  new  route,  he  called  for 
Diaz's  chart,  drew  his  pen  through  the  name  Cape  of  Storms,  and 
in  its  place  wrote  in  bold  letters  that  name  full  of  promise,  —  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

He  was  right,  for  not  many  years  later  another  Portuguese 
navigator  sailed  round  that  cape,  reached  the  peninsula  of  India 
(1498),  and  established  a  trading  post  there. 

7.  Plan  of  Columbus  for  reaching  the  Indies  by  sailing  West. 
Meanwhile  Columbus  felt  certain  that  he  could  find  a  shorter 
and  better  way  of  reaching  the  Indies  than  the  course  Diaz  had 
marked  out.  Instead  of  sailing  east,  or  south  and  east,  he  pro- 
posed to  sail  directly  west.  He  had  four  reasons  for  such  an 
undertaking : 

1.  In  common  with  the  best  geographers  of  his  day,  Columbus 
believed  that  the  earth  was  not  flat,  as  most  men  supposed,  but 
a  globe. 

2.  He  supposed  the  globe  to  be  much  smaller  than  it  is,  and 
the  greater  part  to  be  land  instead  of  water. 

3.  As  he  knew  nothing  and  guessed  nothing  of  the  existence 
of  the  continent  of  America  or  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  he  imagined 
that  the  coast  of  Asia  or  the  Indies  was  directly  opposite  Spain 
and  the  western  coast  of  Europe. 

4.  He  estimated  the  entire  distance  across  from  Spain  to  Japan 
at  less  than  4000  miles. 


1485-1486]  COLUMBUS  SAILS  7 

His  plan  was  this  :  he  would  start  from  Europe,  head  his  ship 
westward  toward  Japan,  and  follow  the  curve  of  the  globe  until  it 
brought  him  to  what  he  sought.  To  his  mind  it  seemed  as  sure 
and  simple  as  for  a  fly  to  walk  round  an  apple. 

If  successful  in  the  expedition,  he  could  enter  the  Spice  Islands 
and  the  whole  region  of  the  Indies  directly  by  the  front  door, 
while  the  Portuguese  could  only  enter  them  in  a  roundabout  way, 
and  by  a  sort  of  side  door. 

Had  Columbus  correctly  reckoned  the  size  of  the  globe  and  the 
true  length  of  the  voyage  he  proposed,  he  probably  would  not  have 
sailed,  since  he  would  have  seen  at  once  that  the  Portuguese  route 
(§  6)  was  both  far  shorter  and  cheaper  than  his.  Furthermore, 
if  he  had  imagined  that  the  American  continent  lay  right  across 
his  path,  that  would  have  been  another  discouraging  circumstance, 
because  his  object  was  not  to  find  a  new  country,  but  a  new  way 
to  an  old  one. 

8.  Columbus  seeks  and  obtains  the  Assistance  of  Spain.  Colum- 
bus meditated  on  his  great  voyage  for  many  years,  during  which 
time  he  sought  to  get  the  help  first  of  his  native  city,  then  of 
Portugal,  and  finally  of  Spain  (148 5-1 486).  He  met  with  noth- 
ing but  disappointment.  He  was  regarded  as  a  foolish  schemer, 
and  the  street  boys  openly  mocked  him  as  a  lunatic. 

At  last,  worn  out  with  waiting,  and  sick  at  heart,  Columbus 
set  out  to  leave  Spain,  but  he  was  recalled.  He  had  a  few  stanch 
friends  at  court  who  believed,  with  him,  that  "  wherever  ships 
could  sail,  man  might  venture."  Through  their  aid,  and  espe- 
cially through  the  gift  of  a  large  sum  of  money  from  Queen 
Isabella,  he  obtained  the  assistance  he  required.1  Thus,  chiefly  by 
a  woman's  help,  the  brave  sailor  got  the  power  to  undertake  his 
daring  enterprise. 

9.  Columbus  sails.  Columbus  had  succeeded  in  getting  his 
own  terms,  —  he  had  received  the  rank  of  admiral,  he  was  to  be 
governor  of  all  lands  that  he  might  discover  or  acquire,  and  he 
was  to  have  a  tenth  of  whatever  treasure  he  might  find.    When 

1  The  whole  amount  raised  to  fit  out  the  expedition  was  about  $93,000,  of  which  sum  the 
Queen  seems  to  have  contributed  over  two  thirds.    See  Harrisse's  "  Columbus." 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1492 


all  was  ready  for  the  voyage  he  and  his  men  went  to  church, 
and  implored  the  blessing  of  God  on  their  great  enterprise.  The 
next  day,  Friday,  August  3,  1492,  "  half  an  hour  before  sunrise," 
Columbus  set  sail  from  Palos,  Spain,  with  three  small  vessels  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  men.1 

Of  these  vessels,  only  the  largest,  the  Admiral's  ship,  had  an 
entire  deck,  and  even  that  was  probably  of  not  over  one  hundred 
tons'  burden,  or  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  coasting  schooner. 


Chart 
representing  that 

by  which 
Columbus  sailed 

1492 


IRELA 


ATLANTIC 

OCEAN 


Tropic  of  Cancer  \*A    Q§>*\\      ^0 

CANARIES^Jp      O 


Cabot  +—ll$7JU*~" 


Correct  Chart  of  Westward  Route  from  Europe  to  Asia,  for 
Comparison  with  the  Chart  of  Columbus  given  above 


1  Columbus  kept  a  regular  journal  of  the  voyage  from  the  start.  In  the  introduction  to 
that  journal  he  says,  respecting  one  object  he  had  in  view  :  "  In  consequence  of  the  informa- 
tion which  I  had  given  to  your  Highnesses  [the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain]  of  the  lands  of 
India,  and  of  a  prince  who  is  called  the  Grand  Khan,  which  is  to  say  .  .  .  King  of  Kings  .  .  . 
therefore  your  Highnesses  .  .  .  determined  to  send  me,  Christopher  Columbus,  to  the  said 
parts  of  India  to  see  the  said  prince  and  the  people  and  lands  .  .  .  and  to  discover  the  means 
to  be  taken  for  the  conversion  of  them  to  our  holy  faith  ;  and  ordered  that  I  should  not  go 
by  land  to  the  East,  by  which  it  is  the  custom  to  go,  but  by  a  voyage  to  the  west,  by  which 
course,  unto  the  present  time,  we  do  not  know  for  certain  that  any  one  hath  passed." 


1492] 


ROUTE  OF  COLUMBUS 


Columbus  took  his  route  by  way  of  the  Canary  Islands,  because 
Japan,  the  nearest  Asiatic  land,  was  supposed  to  lie  in  that  lati- 
tude. (Maps,  pp.  8,  9.)  At  the  Canaries  he  was  detained  several 
weeks  repairing  the  rudder  of  one  vessel  and  altering  the  sails 
of  a  second. 

On  September  6  he  hoisted  anchor  and  resolutely  set  out 
to  cross  that  ocean  which  no  civilized  man  had  ever  before  at- 
tempted to  pass  over.  As  the  last  dim  outline  of  the  islands  faded 
from  their  sight  many  of  the  sailors  were  completely  overcome. 
Some  shed  tears,  as  if  they  "had  taken  leave  of  the  world"; 


Barcelona  1 


°oL, 


Route  of  Columbus,  1492 

others,  unable  to  restrain  their  grief,  broke  out  into   loud  and 
bitter  lamentations. 

But  Columbus  himself  had  no  such  fears.  He  did  not  feel 
that  he  was  making  a  leap  in  the  dark.  He  was  an  experienced 
navigator,  and  he  had  carefully  calculated  everything  and  provided 
for  everything. 

1 .  He  had  a  chart  of  the  globe,  made  by  himself. 

2.  He  had  the  mariner's  compass  for  his  guide. 

3.  He  carried  with  him  an  improved  astrolabe,  the  instrument 
which  was  then  used  for  determining  position,  at  sea,  by  observa- 
tion of  the  sun. 

But  these  things  were  not  all.  In  fact,  these  were  but  the  mate- 
rial and  mechanical  means  of  success.  He  had  the  conviction  that 
he  was  engaged  in  a  Providential  work,  and  that  he  was  certain 
to  accomplish  it.  There  are  occasions  in  life  when  such  a  faith  is 
worth  everything  to  its  possessor :  this  was  one. 


io         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1492 

10.  The  Voyage ;  Variation  of  the  Needle ;  the  Crew  are  greatly 
alarmed ;  the  Winged  Guides.  For  a  time  all  went  well ;  then  a 
new  and  strange  circumstance  was  noticed.  It  was  found  that  the 
compass  no  longer  pointed  toward  the  north  star,  but  that  it  varied 
more  and  more,  as  they  went  on,  to  the  west  of  north. 

This  astonished  Columbus  and  greatly  alarmed  the  sailors. 
They  began  to  think  that  they  had  now  entered  a  region  where 

the  ordinary  laws  of  nature  were 
suspended,  and  that  to  persist 
in  keeping  on  would  be  destruc- 
tion. Columbus  pacified  their 
fears  as  best  he  could.  He,  how- 
ever, would  not  hear  of  turning 
back  then,  though  he  afterward 
promised  to  do  so  if  land  was  not 
discovered  in  a  few  days. 

On  October  7  a  flock  of  land 
birds  was  seen  flying  toward  the 
southwest,  and  Columbus  decided 
to  change  his  course  and  follow 
them.1 

1 1 .  Land !  San  Salvador ;  the 

West  Indies  and  the  Indians.   A 
Columbus  sees  a  Distant  Light  .  •-  1       1 

few  nights  later,  when  Columbus 

was  standing  on  the  deck  of  his  ship  peering  into  the  darkness,  he 

suddenly  saw  a  distant  light.    It  moved  about  like  a  torch,  carried 

in  a  man's  hand. 

Very  early  the  next  morning,  Friday,  October  12,  1492,  a  sailor 

raised  the  joyful  cry  of  "  Land  !   Land  !  "    It  proved  to  be  a  small 

island  of  the  Bahamas,2  now  thought  to  be  Watling's  Island. 

1  Read  Joaquin  Miller's  spirited  poem  on  Columbus  in  Lane  and  Hill's  "American 
History  in  Literature  "  [Ginn  and  Company], 

2  On  his  first  voyage  (1492)  Columbus  discovered  the  Bahamas  and  some  of  the  West 
India  Islands.  On  his  second  voyage  (1493)  he  discovered  the  islands  of  the  Caribbean  Sea, 
besides  Jamaica  and  Porto  Rico.  On  his  third  voyage  (1498)  he  discovered  Trinidad,  off  the 
coast  of  Venezuela,  South  America;  and  on  the  1st  of  August,  the  mainland  of  that  conti- 
nent, at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco  River.  On  his  fourth  and  final  voyage  (1502)  he  explored 
the  coast  of  Central  America  and  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.    He  died  in  Spain  in  1506. 


12         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1492-1493 

When  the  sun  rose  it  revealed  a  low  sandy  shore.  It  was  the 
humble  threshold  of  the  New  World. 

Columbus,  richly  dressed  in  scarlet,  landed  with  his  men.  Kneel- 
ing, they  kissed  the  soil,  and  with  tears  gave  thanks  to  God  for 
having  crowned  their  voyage  with  success.  Then,  with  solemn 
ceremonies,  the  Admiral  planted  the  royal  flame-colored  banner 


Columbus  lands  on  San  Salvador 

of  Spain,  and  took  possession  of  the  country  for  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella.  To  the  island  he  gave  the  name  of  San  Salvador,  or 
the  Holy  Redeemer. 

Columbus  believed  this  little  island  to  be  part  of  the  Indies 
which  he  was  seeking.  Since  he  had  reached  it  by  sailing  west- 
ward he  called  the  group  to  which  it  belongs  the  West  Indies.  To 
the  natives  he  naturally  gave  the  name  Indians. 

Columbus  never  found  out  his  mistake  in  regard  to  this  country. 
He  made  three  more  voyages  hither  ;  but  he  died  firmly  convinced 
that  America  was  part  of  Asia,  and  that  he  had  discovered  a  short 
and  direct  all-sea  route  westward  from  Europe  to  the  Indies. 

We  should  distinctly  understand  that  Columbus  never  saw  any 
part  of  the  mainland  of  what  is  now  the  United  States. 

12.  Columbus  returns  to  Spain ;  his  Reception ;  the  Pope's  Divi- 
sion of  the  World.  Columbus  built  a  small  fort  in  Haiti  and  left  a 
few  men  to  hold  it.    He  then  sailed  for  Spain  (1493). 


1493-1494] 


LETTER  OF  COLUMBUS 


13 


Ferdinand  and  Isabella  gave  the  great  sailor  such  a  reception 
as  the  first  civilized  man  who  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  merited. 
Those  who  a  year  before  had  laughed  at  him  as  crazy,  now,  cap  in 
hand,  bowed  low  before  him.  Yet  the  only  printed  account  which 
appeared  describing  his  wonderful  voyage  was  a  copy  of  a  letter 
which  he  had  written  to  the  King  and  Queen.    It  was  entitled  : 

"H  letter  of  Cbrietopber  Columbus, 

(to  whom  our  Age  is  much  indebted) 
respecting  the 

Islands  of  India,  beyond  the  Ganges, 
lately  discovered."  1 

One  important  result  of  this  supposed  discovery  of  a  western 
route  to  the  Indies  was  the  division  of  the  world  by  the  Pope. 
Spain  and  Portugal  were  rivals.  Both  were  eager  to  get  control 
of  the  commerce  with  the  Far  East  —  especially  with  the  Spice 
Islands  of  the  Indies.  In  order  to  keep  the  two  nations  from  fight- 
ing each  other,  the  Pope  drew  a  perpendicular  line,  one  hundred 
leagues  west  of  the  Azores,  from  the 
north  pole  to  the  south  pole.  The  King 
of  Portugal  was  to  have  all  lands  dis- 
covered east  of  that  line,  and  the  King 
of  Spain  all  those  west  of  it.  Later 
(1494),  this  dividing  line  was  fixed  three 
hundred  and  seventy  leagues  west  of 
the  Cape  Verde  Islands. 

13.  Disappointment  of  Spain  with 
the  newly  found  M  Indies  "  ;  Death  of 
Columbus.  Meantime  Spain  was  pic- 
turing to  herself  the  unbounded  wealth 
she  would  gain  through  future  voyages 
of  Columbus.  But  he  failed  to  find  any  rich  spices  or  mines  of 
precious  metal,  and  sore  was  the  disappointment.  His  men  brought 
back  no  gold,  but  only  a  mockery  of  it  in  their  yellow,  emaciated 
faces,  discolored  by  disease. 

1  This  letter  may  be  found  complete  in  Major's  "  Select  Letters  of  Columbus." 


Map  showing  the  Division 

of  the  World  made 

in  1494 


14         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1493-isoo 


Loud  was  the  outcry  against  Columbus.  The  rabble  nicknamed 
him  the  "  Admiral  of  Mosquito  Land."  They  pointed  at  him  as 
the  man  who  had  promised  everything,  but  who  had  found  noth- 
ing but  "  a  wilderness  peopled  with  naked  savages." 

So  strong  was  the  feeling  against  him  that  the  King  appointed  a 
new  governor  for  the  island  of  Haiti  (§  12).    He  arrested  Columbus 

and  sent  him  back  in 
chains  to  Spain  ( 1 5  00) . 
He  was  released  as 
soon  as  he  arrived, 
and  lived  to  make  one 
more  voyage.  Broken 
in  health,  broken  in 
heart,  the  great  sailor 
died  in  Spain  in  neg- 
lect and  poverty.1 

But  though  his  clos- 
ing days  were  pitiful, 
yet  none  the  less  the 
voice  that  he  imag- 
ined he  once  heard  in 
a  dream  spoke  truly.2 
He  had  accomplished 
what  no  one  else  had 
those  gates  of  the  6cean,"  which  until 


Columbus  in  Chain 


done,  for  he  had  unlocked 


1  Columbus  died  at  Valladolid  in  1506.  He  was  buried  there,  but  later  his  body  was 
removed  to  Seville.  In  1536  it  was  transported  to  the  island  of  San  Domingo.  After  the 
cession  of  that  island  to  France  by  the  Spanish  the  body  of  Columbus  was  taken  up  (as  was 
then  supposed),  carried  to  Havana,  Cuba,  and  there  deposited  in  the  cathedral.  These  reputed 
remains  were  sent  back  to  Spain  in  December,  1898,  and  were  deposited  in  the  cathedral  of 
Seville.    But  it  may  be  that  the  true  remains  of  Columbus  still  rest  in  San  Domingo. 

Three  years  before  his  death  he  wrote  to  the  King  and  Queen,  saying,  "  I  was  twenty- 
eight  years  old  [these  figures  are  believed  to  be  a  mistake]  .  .  .  when  I  came  into  your 
Highnesses'  service,  and  now  I  have  not  a  hair  upon  my  head  that  is  not  gray :  my  body  is 
infirm,  and  all  that  was  left  to  me  has  been  taken  away  and  sold.  .  .  .  Hitherto  I  have  wept 
over  others;  may  Heaven  now  have  mercy  upon  me,  and  may  the  earth  weep  for  me!"  — 
Letter  of  Columbus,  1503. 

2  See  quotation  from  the  letter  of  Columbus  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  page  1.  It 
was  while  he  lay  sick  and  in  great  trouble,  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  that  he  fancied  he 
heard  the  consoling  voice. 


1497] 


JOHN  CABOT 


15 


The  Light  Parts  of  this  Map  show  how  much  of 
America  Columbus  Discovered 


then  had  been  "fast  shut  with  chains,"  — the  chains  of  ignorance 
and  fear.  He  failed  to  find  the  Indies  —  but  he  did  something 
immeasurably  greater  —  he  discovered  America. 

14.  John  Cabot  discovers  the  Continent  of  North  America.  But 
great  as  was  the  merit  of  Columbus,  he  was  not  destined  to  be 
the  first  to  look 
on  the  mainland 
of  America,  nor 
was  he  to  give 
it  the  name  it 
bears.  The  dis- 
covery of  the 
continent  was 
made  by  a  fel- 
low-countryman, 
John  Cabot,  of 
Venice,  then  re- 
siding in  Bristol,  England.  The  great  voyage  of  Columbus  moved 
him  to  see  what  he  could  discover.    He  hoped  to  find  a  northern 

passage  to  the  Indies 
and  China,  in  order 
that  he  might  secure 
the  spice  trade  for  the 
English  sovereign.  He 
failed  to  discover  what 
he  sought;  but  he  did 
better,  for  he  saw  what 
no  civilized  man  had 
yet  beheld,  —  the  con- 
tinent of  North  Amer- 
ica. The  point  where 
he  made  the  discov- 
ery was  probably  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cape  Breton  Island,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.  On  a  map  drawn  by  his  son  Sebastian  we  read 
the  following  inscription  : 


John  Cabot  approaching  Land 


16         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1497-1499 


"In  the  year  of  our  Lord  I 49 J,  John  Cabot,  a  Venetian,  and 
his  son  Sebastian  discovered  that  country  which  no  one  before  his 
time  had  ventured  to  approach,  on  the  24th  of  June,  about  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning." 

Cabot  planted  the  English  flag  on  the  coast,  and  took  possession 
of  the  country  for  Henry  VII,  King  of  England. 

The  next  year  Sebastian  Cabot  made  a  voyage,  and  explored 
the  coast  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Cape  Hatteras,  or  perhaps  even 

farther  south. 

Henry  VII  was  notoriously  fond 
of  money,  and  knew  how  to  hold  on 
to  it ;  but  in  this  particular  case 
he  tried  to  be  generous.  He  ap- 
pears to  have  given  John  Cabot  a 
small  pension  ;  for  after  his  death 
this  memorandum  was  found  in 
the  King's  private  expense  book : 
u  I Oth  August,  1407.  To  him  that 
found  the  new  isle,  £>IO." 

The  King  certainly  got  his 
money's  worth  ;  for  on  that  voy- 
age of  Cabot's  the  English  based 
their  claim  to  this  country.  Nearly 
three  hundred  years  later,  Edmund 
Burke,  the  eminent  British  statesman,  said  in  Parliament,  "  We 
derive  our  right  in  America  from  the  discovery  of  [John]  Cabot, 
who  first  made  [saw]  the  northern  continent  in  1497." 

15.  How  America  got  its  Name.  Two  years  after  John  Cabot's 
voyage  (1499)  another  Italian,  Amerigo  Vespucci,1  went  out  from 
Spain  on  an  expedition  of  exploration.  Following  directly  in  the 
track  of  Columbus,  and  using  his  charts,  he  reached  the  northeastern 

1  Vespucci's  voyages  :  according  to  what  purports  to  be  his  own  account,  Amerigo  Ves- 
pucci made  his  first  voyage  in  the  spring  of  1497,  and  saw  on  June  6th  of  that  year  "  a  coast 
which,"  he  says,  "we  thought  to  be  that  of  a  continent."  If  that  coast  was  the  continent,  he 
discovered  the  mainland  of  America  eighteen  days  before  John  Cabot  did  (June  24,  1497); 
and  more  than  a  year  before  Columbus  saw  it,  on  his  third  voyage  (August  1, 1498).  In  1499 
Vespucci,  following  in  the  track  of  Columbus,  visited  the  northeastern  coast  of  South  America, 
part  of  which  had  been  seen  and  described  by  the  great  navigator  the  previous  year.  Later, 


Map  showing  how  much  of 
North  America  was  dis- 
covered BY  THE  CABOTS 


1499-1507] 


HOW  AMERICA  GOT  ITS   NAME 


17 


part  of  the  South  American  coast,  somewhere  in  what  is  now 
Dutch  Guiana.  In  the  course  of  the  next  four  years  he  made  two 
more  voyages  in  which  he  visited  Brazil. 

On  his  return  to  Europe  he  wrote  a  pretty  full  account  of  what 
he  had  seen,  which  was  published  soon  after  (1504). 

A  teacher  in  the  college  of  St.  Die,  in  eastern  France,  read 
Vespucci's  little  pamphlet.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  it  because 
it  was  the  first  printed  descrip- 
tion of  the  mainland  of  the 
Western  Hemisphere. 

In  the  year  1 507  this  teacher 
published  a  small  book  on  ge- 
ography. He  spoke  of  the 
different  voyages  which  had 
been  made  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  ended  by  saying,  "  The 
fourth  part  of  the  world  hav- 
ing been  discovered  by  Amerigo 
or  Americtis,  we  may  call  it 
Amerige,  or  AMERICA." 

People  seemed  to  like  the 
idea,  and  so  half  of  the  globe 
received  the  name  it  now  bears. 
One  Italian  had  found  the  out- 
posts of  the  New  World,  and 
claimed  them  for  Spain  (§  11); 
a  second  had  seen  the  north- 
ern mainland,  and  taken  pos- 
session of  it  for  England  (§  14);  finally,  a  third,  coming  after  both 
the  others,  gave  to  it,  perhaps  without  his  own  knowledge,  the 
title  it  now  possesses  in  every  atlas  and  history. 

No  man  that  ever  lived  before  or  since  has  such  a  monument  as 
Amerigo  Vespucci ;  for  a  name  derived  from  his  is  written  across 

Vespucci  visited  Brazil.  Authorities  are  divided,  but  perhaps  the  greater  part  now  believe 
that  Vespucci  did  not  make  his  first  voyage  until  1499,  an^  tnat>  therefore,  John  Cabot  was 
the  true  discoverer  of  the  continent  of  America.  (See  Winsor's  "  Narrative  and  Critical 
History  of  America,"  II,  129-179;  Channing's  "United  States,"  1,42-44.) 


St.  Die,  France 


1 8         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1507-1522 

the  map  of  two  entire  continents.  If  he  deserved  it,  it  is  right 
that  he  should  have  the  honor  ;  but  that  is  a  point  which  cannot  be 
settled.  It  may  be  that  he  has  received  by  chance  fame  which  he 
did  not  fairly  earn,  and  which,  perhaps,  he  did  not  even  seek. 

1 6.  How  America  finally  came  to  be  considered  a  New  and 
Distinct  Continent.  But  even  after  America  was  named,  the  idea 
that  it  was  a  distinct  and  separate  division  of  the  globe  was  not 
generally  accepted.  Some  thought  that  South  America  was  a  great 
island  or  southern  continent  (like  Australia) ;  but  the  majority  be- 
lieved, with  Columbus,  that  it  was  simply  an  immense  peninsula 
projecting  from  southeastern  Asia.  People,  indeed,  spoke  of  the 
"  New  World,"  but  all  that  they  usually  meant  by  that  expression 
was  newly  discovered  lands. 

The  real  character  of  America  was  first  found  by  Magellan, 
a  Portuguese  captain  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  the  early  part  of 
the  1 6th  century.  The  King  of  Spain  sent  him  on  a  voyage  to  the 
southwest  (15 19),  to  see  if  he  could  find  a  new  way  to  reach 
the  Spice  Islands.  He  discovered  the  strait  which  now  bears  his 
name,  and,  passing  through  it,  entered  that  great  ocean  which  he 
called  the  Pacific. 

He  pushed  on  westward  until  he  reached  the  Philippines,  where 
he  was  killed  by  the  natives.  One  ship  of  the  expedition  kept 
on  its  course  until  it  crossed  the  Indian  Ocean,  doubled  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  (§6),  and  finally  reached  Spain  (1522).  (Maps, 
PP.  5,  8.) 

The  Spanish  King  was  so  pleased  with  the  result  that  he  gave 
the  commander  a  coat  of  arms  representing  a  globe  bearing  the 
motto  :  "  You  first  sailed  round  me." 

Then  men's  eyes  were  opened  to  the  truth.  Then  they  saw  that 
America,  instead  of  being  a  part  of  the  Old  World,  was  in  all  prob- 
ability an  immense,  independent  continent,  a  real  new  world. 

Was  that  discovery  hailed  with  delight  ?  Not  at  all.  Europe  was 
still  bent  on  finding  "that  hidden  secret  of  nature," — a  direct 
passage  to  Asia  and  the  Indies,  —  and  there  stood  America  bar- 
ring all  progress.  It  is  true  that  when  the  Spaniards  found  gold  and 
silver  in  Mexico  and  Peru,  they  became  reconciled  in  a  measure  to 


1519-1522] 


SUMMARY 


19 


Equator 


^£ 


their  disappointment.  Still,  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  after 
Columbus,  most  of  the  explorers  spent  their  efforts  net  so  much 
in  seeking  to  find  out  what  was  in  the  new  country,  as  in  trying 
to  hit  on  some  passage  through  it  or  round  it  which  should  be 
shorter  and  better  than  that  which  Magellan  had  sailed  through. 

17.  Summary.  In  1492  Columbus,  while  attempting  to  open  up 
a  direct  western  all-sea  route  to 
Asia,  accidentally  came  upon  the 
West  India  Islands,  —  in  other 
words,  he  discovered  America. 
He  had  no  true  idea  of  the 
magnitude  of  his  discovery,  but 
supposed  the  land  which  he  had 
found,  and  all  that  which  he 
afterward  saw,  to  be  part  of  Asia. 
His  great  merit  was  this  :  he  was 
the  first  civilized  man  who  dared 
to  cross  the  unknown  sea  of  the  Atlantic.  The  glory  of  that  bold 
exploit  will  always  be  his.  John  Cabot,  a  Venetian,  discovered  the 
American  continent  in  1497. 

The  voyages  of  Amerigo  Vespucci,  who,  like  Cabot,  was  a 
native  of  Italy,  and  therefore  a  fellow-countryman  of  Columbus, 
suggested  the  name  America.  Last  of  all,  Magellan's  expedition 
round  the  world  (15 19-1522)  proved  the  earth  to  be  a  globe,  and 
showed  that  America  was,  in  all  probability,  a  distinct  continent, 
and  not  a  part  of  Asia. 

1  In  1901  a  map  was  found  in  Germany  which  eminent  scholars  believe  was  made  in  1507 
by  Waldseemiiller,  the  teacher  at  St.  Die,  referred  to  in  §  15.  It  shows  the  earliest  use  of 
the  name  America  on  a  map.  The  name  is  placed  on  the  continent  of  South  America  on 
what  is  now  the  northern  part  of  the  Argentine  Republic.  This  map  of  1507  is  not  as  well 
adapted  to  reproduction  in  a  book  of  this  grade  as  that  of  15 15,  given  above,  and  which  may 
be  found  in  J.  Winsor's  "America,"  II,  118.  For  a  reduced  copy  of  that  part  of  Wald- 
seemiiller's  map  of  1507,  which  shows  the  name  America,  see.  E.  G.  Bourne's  "Spain  in 
America,"  p.  100;  for  the  complete  map,  see  Fischer  and  Wieser's  Atlas  of  "The  Oldest 
Map  with  the  Name  America," 


Map  of  America1  from  a  Globe 
made  in  1515 


II 

The  discovery  of  America  was  "  the  great  event  which  gave  a  new  world 
not  only  to  Spain,  but  to  civilized  man."  —  Charles  Sumner. 


ATTEMPTS  AT   EXPLORING  AND 
COLONIZING  AMERICA1 

THE   COUNTRY    •    THE   NATIVES    .    EFFECTS   OF  THE   DISCOVERY  OF 
AMERICA  ON  EUROPE  (1509-1600) 

18.  Ponce  de  Leon's  Expedition;  Discovery  of  Florida.  Early 
in  the  sixteenth  century  the  Spaniards  conquered  Cuba.  A  number 
of  years  later  Ponce  de  Leon,  governor  of  Porto  Rico,  resolved  to 
start  on  an  exploring  expedition  to  the  northward. 

De  Leon  was  growing  old,  but  the  Indians  excited  him  by  tell- 
ing him  of  a  wonderful  land  not  very  far  away.  They  said  that 
he  would  find  plenty  of  gold  there,  and  a  fountain  which  would 
make  the  old  young  again.  He  obtained  a  charter  2  from  the  King 
of  Spain,  which  gave  him  power  to  go  in  search  of  that  land  of 
promise,  and  when  found,  to  hold  it  as  governor  for  life.  The 
veteran  adventurer  felt  that  if  he  could  once  bathe  in  the  waters 
of  the  miraculous  fountain,  and  get  back  his  youth,  he  would  be 
pretty  sure  of  a  long  term  of  office. 

After  cruising  about  for  several  weeks  he  struck  the  mainland 
of  North  America  (1513).    It  was  Easter  Sunday,  a  day  which  the 

1  Reference  Books.  R.  G.  Thwaites'  "  Colonies,"  pp.  1-7,  7-19,  27-44  ;  F.  Park- 
man's  "  Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New  World,"  pp.  1— 1 5,  85-162  ;  W.  C.  Bryant 
and  Gay's  "  United  States  "  (revised  edition),  I,  ch.  7-10;  L.  Farrand's  "  Basis  of 
American  History"  (The  Indians),  ch.  14-15;  E.  G.  Bourne's  "Spain  in  Amer- 
ica," pp.  108-111,  133-136,  162-168,  169-174,  177-189;  L.  G.  Tyler's  "  England  in 
America,"  pp.  18-33  5  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Source  Book  of  American  History,"  pp.  6-14  ; 
A.  B.  Hart's  "  American  History  by  Contemporaries,"  I,  57-64,  81-95  ;  G.  Ban- 
croft's "United  States,"  I,  ch.  2-5;  N.  S.  Shaler's  "Story  of  Our  Continent" 
(Physical  Geography,  etc.).    See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books  in  the  Appendix. 

2  Charter :  a  written  grant  made  by  the  king  or  head  of  a  government,  conferring  certain 
rights  and  privileges. 

20 


1513] 


BALBOA'S  EXPEDITION 


21 


Spaniards  call  Pascua  Florida,  or  Flowery  Easter.  Shortly  after, 
De  Leon  landed  at  a  point  not  very  far  from  where  St.  Augustine 
now  stands.  (Map,  p.  29.)  There  he  planted  the  cross,  raised  the 
Spanish  flag,  and  in  commemoration  of  the  day  when  he  had  first 
seen  the  coast,  he  named  the  country  Florida.  Winter  is  almost 
unknown  in  that  climate,  and  the  dense  foliage  and  profusion  of 
bright  flowers  fully  justified  the  name. 

De  Leon  failed  to  discover  gold.  Worse  still,  he  found  no  mag- 
ical fountain  that  could  make  a  man  approaching  three-score  a  man 
of  twenty.  Disappointed  in  what  he  most  cared  for,  he  set  sail 
for  Porto  Rico.  Later,  he  went  back  to  Florida  to  colonize  the 
country,  but  was  killed  by  an  In- 
dian. Thus  the  old  man  found 
death  lurking  for  him  in  that 
"  Land  of  Flowers,"  where  he 
had  hoped  to  find  both  riches 
and  his  lost  youth. 

19.  Balboa  discovers  a  New 
Ocean ;  Cortez  in  Mexico ;  his 
Plans  for  a  Panama  Canal.  In 
the  autumn  of  the  year  when  De 
Leon  first  saw  Florida  (15 13), 
Balboa,  a  fellow-countryman, 
undertook  an  exploring  expedi- 
tion on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 
His  object  was  to  find  a  great  body  of  water  which  the  natives 
told  him  could  be  seen  toward  the  south  from  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tains. After  terrible  hardships,  Balboa  reached  the  summit  of  the 
ridge.  Looking  down,  he  beheld  that  magnificent  expanse  of  water 
which  Magellan,  seven  years  later,  sailed  across  on  his  way  round 
the  world  (§  16). 

A  number  of  days  afterwards,  Balboa,  struggling  over  rocks, 
wading  streams,  and  cutting  his  way  through  tangled  vines,  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  to  the  shore. 

Drawing  his  sword  with  one  hand,  and  bearing  a  banner  in  the 
other,  he  marched  out  knee-deep  into  the  smooth  sea,  and  took 


Balboa  discovers  the  Pacific 


22         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1513-1535 

possession  of  it  and  of  all  lands  bordering  on  it  for  the  sovereigns 
of  Spain.  Waving  his  sword,  he  said,  "  I  am  ready  to  defend  " 
their  claim  "as  long  as  the  world  endures,  and  until  the  final  day 
of  judgment  of  all  mankind."  He  named  that  ocean  the  South 
Sea  because  he  first  saw  it  to  the  south  of  where  he  stood,  but 
Magellan  named  it  the  Pacific  (§  16). 

Six  years  later,  the  Spanish  general,  Cortez,  landed  in  Mexico, 
conquered  that  country,  and  thus  established  the  power  of  Spain 
on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  North  American  continent. 

Cortez  saw  what  an  immense  advantage  it  would  be  to  Spain 
to  cut  a  canal  through  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  suggested 
it  to  the  King,  but  that  prudent  monarch  refused  to  undertake 
a  work  which  he  said  would  drain  his  treasury  of  its  last  cent. 
To-day  the  United  States  has  an  army  of  canal  laborers  on  the 
Isthmus  who  are  "  making  the  dirt  fly."  Many  of  them  are 
Spaniards. 

20.  French  Explorations;  Montreal.  Up  to  this  time  France 
had  obtained  no  part  of  the  New  World.  But  the  King  of  that 
country  did  not  intend  to  let  the  other  powers  of  Europe  get  it  all. 
The  Pope  had,  as  we  have  seen  (§  12),  granted  the  new  lands  to 
the  rival  nations  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  but  the  King  of  France 
cared  nothing  for  that.  "  Show  me,"  said  he  to  the  sovereigns  of 
those  nations,  "  the  words  in  the  will  of  '  Father  Adam '  which 
divides  the  earth  between  the  Spanish  and  the  Portuguese,  but 
shuts  out  the  French."  No  one  found  it  convenient  to  produce 
the  will,  so  the  King  of  France  sent  out  an  expedition  (1524)1  to 
obtain  his  share  of  America. 

Later  (1535),  Cartier,2  a  French  navigator,  discovered  a  great 
river  in  the  northern  part  of  America,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  St.  Lawrence.  Ascending  the  stream,  he  came  to  an  island 
where  he  climbed  a  lofty  hill.  He  was  so  delighted  with  the  grand 
view  that  he  called  the  height  Montreal,  or  Royal  Mountain. 

1  This  was  the  expedition  said  to  have  been  undertaken  by  Verrazano  in  1524.  He  states 
that  he  landed  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Fear,  North  Carolina;  then  sailed  about  150  miles 
southward  along  the  coast,  and  then,  turning  north,  sailed  to  what  is  now  New  York  Bay, 
afterward  cruising  along  the  coast  of  New  England. 

2  Cartier  made  his  first  expedition  in  1534,  to  Newfoundland  and  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 


1539-1541] 


DE  SOTO'S  EXPEDITION 


23 


21.  De  Soto's  Expedition  in  the  East.  Meanwhile  De  Soto, 
a  Spaniard,  as  greedy  for  gold  as  he  was  cruel,  and  as  daring  as 
he  was  greedy,  set  out  on  an  expedition  to  the  west.  He  sailed 
from  Cuba  (1539)  with  a  force  of  about  600  picked  men  and  over 
200  horses. 

The  expedition  landed  at  Tampa  Bay,  Florida,  and  began  its 
march  of  exploration,  robbery,  and  murder.  The  soldiers  seized 
the  natives,  chained  them  in  couples,  and  forced  them  to  carry 
their  baggage  and  pound  their  corn   into  meal  for  them. 


De  Soto's  Expedition  in  the  East,  and  Coronado's  in  the  West 

In  the  course  of  two  years,  De  Soto  and  his  men  traveled  up- 
wards of  fifteen  hundred  miles  through  what  are  now  the  states 
of  Florida,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Mississippi.  They  picked  up 
no  gold  worth  mentioning,  but,  in  place  of  it,  they  found  hunger, 
suffering,  and  death.    They  deserved  what  they  found. 

At  length,  in  1 541,  the  Spaniards,  worn  out,  sick,  and  disheart- 
ened, came  out  from  the  forest  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.1 
There  De  Soto  called  a  halt.    He  was  the  first  white  man  that  had 


1  Probably  at  or  near  a  place  now  called  De  Soto  Front,  De  Soto  County,  in  the  north- 
western corner  of  the  state  of  Mississippi. 


24 


LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1542 


ever  looked  on  the  main  body  of  that  mighty  stream  which  rolls 
for  nearly  three  thousand  miles  through  the  heart  of  the  conti- 
nent, and,  with  its  tributaries,  has  a  total  navigable  length  of  over 
twenty  thousand  miles. 

The  river  at  that  point  is  so  wide  that  a  person  standing  on 
the  bank  can  just  see  a  man  standing  on  the  opposite  side. 
Here  the  Spaniards  crossed.  They  made  a  long  march  westward, 
getting  no  treasure,  but  meeting,  as  they  declared,  "  Indians  as 
fierce  as  mad  dogs."    After  a  time  they  came  back  to  the  great 


De  Soto  discovers  the  Mississippi 


river  (1542)  at  that  point  in  Louisiana  where  the  Red  River 
unites  with  it. 

Here  De  Soto  ended  his  career.  Here  he  died,  and  was  secretly 
buried  at  midnight  in  the  muddy  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  survivors  at  length  reached  the  Spanish  settlements  in 
Mexico.  They  were  a  forlorn  band,  half-naked,  half-starved,  look- 
ing worse  than  the  saVages  they  had  gone  out  to  subdue. 

22.  Coronado's  Expedition  in  the  West.  While  De  Soto  had 
been  moving  westward,  Coronado,  a  Spanish  governor  in  Mexico, 
heard  of  seven  wonderful  cities  in  the  northeast.  The  Indians  said 
that  the  principal  houses  of  these  marvelous  cities  were  ornamented 
with  precious  stones,  and  that  the  women  wore  strings  of  gold 
beads  and  the  men  belts  of  gold.    Coronado  set  out  (1540)  to 


1540-1562] 


CORONADO'S  EXPEDITION 


25 


find  and  conquer  these  places.  (Map,  p.  23.)  He  discovered  the 
Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado1  in  Arizona,  and  a  number  of 
Indian  pueblos,  or  villages,  in  New 
Mexico,  built  of  stone  and  adobe 
or  bricks  made  of  mud  dried  in  the 
sun.  But  he  found  no  gold,  and 
nothing  more  valuable  than  some 
bright  blue  stones.  Disappointed 
in  his  hopes  of  plunder,  he  pushed 
on  until  he  reached  the  plains  of 
Kansas.  There  he  first  saw  and 
hunted  the  famous  "hunchback 
cows,"  or  buffalo.  Had  he  kept  on, 
he  might  have  met  his  country- 
man, De  Soto  (§  21) ;  but  he  was 
disgusted  with  the  Indians,  who 
were  so  miserably  poor  that  he 
could  rob  them  of  nothing,  so  he 
made  his  way  back  to  Mexico. 

23.  Attempts  of  the  Huguenots2 
to  establish  Colonies.  Menendez 
destroys  them  and  builds  Fort  St. 
Augustine.  For  twenty  years  after 
De  Soto's  death  (§21),  Florida, 
with  the  adjacent  country,  was  left 
to  the  undisturbed  possession  of 
the  Indians.  Then  (1 562)  a  small 
party  of  Huguenots  attempted  to 
plant  a  colony  at  what  is  now  Port 
Royal,  South  Carolina,  but  the  wil- 
derness made  them  homesick  and 
they  soon  went  back  to  France. 


coronado  discovers  the  grand 
Canyon  of  the  Colorado 


1  Canyon  of  the  Colorado  :  this  tremendous  gorge  extends  for  over  300  miles.  Its  rocky 
walls  rise  from  3000  to  over  7000  feet  above  the  river.  Nothing  equal  to  it  can  be  seen  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world. 

2  Huguenots  :  a  name  given  to  the  early  French  Protestants.  For  a  full  account  of  them, 
see  "The  Leading  Facts  of  French  History,"  in  this  series. 


26         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1564-1565 


H 


The  next  year  (1564)  a  second  band  of  Huguenots  landed  on 
the  St.  Johns  River  in  Florida  and  built  a  fort.  The  King  of  Spain 
claimed  the  whole  of  that  region  by  right  of  discovery  (§§  11,  18). 
He  resolved  to  break  up  the  French  settlement,  and  sent  an  officer 
named  Menendez  to  do  the  work. 

Menendez  found  the  French  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Johns 
River  (1565),  but  decided  not  to  attack  them  that  day.  He  sailed 
southward  and  built  a  fort  which  he  named  St.  Augustine.    He  then 

advanced  to  the  St.  Johns, 
surprised  the  French  gar- 
rison, and  massacred  all  but 
the  women  and  children. 

Meanwhile  the  leader 
of  the  French  forces  had 
started  to  attack  the  Span- 
iards. Both  hated  each  other, 
both  were  equally  cruel,  and 
in  such  a  war  neither  would 
spare  the  other.  The  French 
ships  were  wrecked  and  the 
soldiers  thrown  helpless 
upon  the  beach.  Menendez 
soon  found  them  and  put 
them  to  death. 

Later,  Menendez  found 
the  French  leader  and  sev- 
eral hundred  more  of  his 
men.  They  were  too  ex- 
hausted to  make  any  resistance.  The  Spaniards  made  part  of 
them  slaves  for  life ;  then  they  took  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty 
more,  bound  their  hands  behind  them,  and  drove  them  like  cattle 
to  St.  Augustine.  There  they  slaughtered  them.  In  this  way 
Menendez  laid,  in  blood,  the  foundations  of  the  oldest  town  in 
the  United  States  (1565). 

24.  Revenge  by  De  Gourgues.  A  French  Catholic  named  De 
Gourgues  vowed  vengeance  on  the  murderers  of  his  countrymen. 


Driving  the  French  Captives  to 
Fort  St.  Augustine 


1567-1578] 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


27 


He  sailed  for  Florida.  Reaching  the  St.  Johns  River,  he  captured 
the  Spanish  garrison  that  Menendez  had  left  there  (§  23),  bound  the 
prisoners,  and  hanged  them.  Over  their  heads  he  placed  a  pine 
board  on  which  he  burned  these  words  with  a  hot  iron  :  "  I  do  this 
not  as  to  Spaniards,  but  as  to  assassins."  Then  he  set  sail  for 
France.  The  French  never  made  a  second 
attempt  to  colonize  Florida,  and  the  Span- 
iards were  left  in  full  possession  not  only  of 
Florida,  but  of  the  whole  of  North  America. 

25.  English  Exploration :  Frobisher ;  Davis ; 
Gilbert;   Drake.    It  was  nearly  eighty  years 
after  John  Cabot  planted  the  English  flag  on 
the  coast  of  North  America  (§  14) 
before    another   such    expedition 
was  undertaken. 

Then  (1576)  Sir  Martin  Fro- 
bisher, followed  by  Captain  John 
Davis,  made  new  attempts  to  dis- 
cover a  northwest  passage  to  the 
Indies.  But  the  ice  fields  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean  compelled  them  to 
turn  back. 

A  little  later  (1578)  Sir  Hum- 
phrey Gilbert  set  out  on  a  voyage 
of  discovery.  He  took  possession 
of  Newfoundland,  but  was  soon 
afterward  lost  at  sea. 

Meanwhile  Sir  Francis  Drake, 
a  noted  English  sailor  and  fighter, 
started  on  a  piratical  expedition  against  the  Spanish  settlements 
on  the  western  coast  of  America. 

He  passed  through  Magellan's  Strait  (§  16)  into  the  Pacific, 
plundering  Spanish  towns  and  Spanish  treasure  ships  as  he  made 
his  way  up  the  coast.  He  landed  at  some  point  in  California, 
probably  near  the  Golden  Gate.  Then  he  sailed  north  as  far  as  the 
upper  part  of  the  state  of  Washington.    (Map,  p.  29.)    He  hoped 


Drake  claims  the  Northwest 
Coast  for  England 


28         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1578-1585 

he  should  have  the  good  luck  to  discover  a  strait  leading  through  to 
the  Atlantic,  so  that  England  could  establish  direct  trade  with  China 
and  the  Indies.  Failing  in  that,  he  took  possession  of  the  whole 
northwest  coast  of  America  in  the  name  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Crossing  the  Pacific,  he  returned  to  England  by  way  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  Like  Magellan  (§  16),  he  had  "plowed  a  furrow 
round  the  world."  He  was  the  first  Englishman  to  perform  that 
feat  (i  577-1 580). 

26.  Walter  Raleigh's  Exploring  Expedition  to  Virginia.  A  few 
years  later  (1584)  Queen  Elizabeth  granted  one  of  her  favorites, 
Walter  Raleigh,  a  charter  giving  him  the  right  to  explore  and 
settle  the  eastern  coast  of  America. 

He  was  one  of  the  few  men  of  that  day  who  believed  that  the 
northern  part  of  the  New  World  was  worth  settling.  Most  of  the 
expeditions  that  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  went  out  mainly  to  dis- 
cover a  way  through  or  round  the  continent  to  Asia  (§§  14,  16,  25) ; 
but  Raleigh  thought  that  England  might  find  that  America  would 
be  worth  as  much  as  Asia,  or  even  more. 

He  sent  out  two  ships  (1584)  to  explore.  The  English  reached 
Roanoke  Island,  off  the  coast  of  what  is  now  North  Carolina.  The 
explorers  were  delighted  with  the  "  native  Americans,"  and  spent 
several  weeks  "  eating  and  drinking  very  merrily  "  with  the  red 
men.  When  the  explorers  returned  to  England,  the  Queen  was  so 
highly  pleased  with  their  description  of  the  "  Good  Land  "  that  she 
named  it  Virginia,  in  honor  of  her  own  maiden  life,  and  knighted 
the  fortunate  Raleigh,  who  now  became  Sir  Walter. 

27.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  Colony;  the  New  "  Root"  and  the 
New  Weed.  Raleigh  sent  out  a  number  of  emigrants  to  make  a 
settlement  on  Roanoke  Island  (1585).  They  stayed  less  than  a 
year  and  then  returned  to  England. 

Still  the  experiment  was  not  a  complete  failure,  for  they  carried 
back  a  peculiar  kind  of  "root" — as  they  called  it.  The  Eng- 
lish baked  it  and  found  it  excellent.  Thus  the  potato *  became  an 
article  of  food  in  the  British  Islands. 

1  The  potato,  by  which  is  meant  the  common,  not  the  sweet,  potato,  was  not  cultivated  by 
the  Indians.   Strictly  speaking,  the  potato  is  not  a  true  root,  but  an  underground  stem. 


1585] 


SIR  WALTER  RALEIGH'S  COLONY 


29 


But  this  was  not  all.  The  Indians  had  a  weed  whose  leaves 
they  dried  and  smoked  with  great  satisfaction.  They  told  the 
white  men  at  Roanoke  that  "  it  would  cure  being  tired."  The  emi- 
grants tried  it,  and  one  of  them  said  that  it  had  so  many  virtues 


Early  Voyages  to  America  and  around  the  World 

that  "  it  would  take  an  entire  volume  to  describe  them  all."  Queen 
Elizabeth  smoked  a  very  little  of  this  wonderful  plant  and  confessed 
that  it  was  "  a  vegetable  of  singular  strength  and  power."  We 
shall  see  later  (§50)  that  Virginia  tobacco  came  to  have  a  very  im- 
portant influence  on  American  trade,  and  also  on  American  history. 


30         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1587-1600 

28.  Raleigh  sends  out  a  Second  Colony.  Raleigh,  though  dis- 
appointed at  the  return  of  his  first  colony,  resolved  to  send  out  a 
second  (1587).  John  White,  the  governor  of  the  new  colony,  laid 
the  log  foundations  of  the  "  City  of  Raleigh." 

The  Governor's  daughter,  Eleanor  Dare,  was  the  wife  of  one 
of  the  settlers.  Shortly  after  her  landing,  Mrs.  Dare  gave  birth 
to  a  daughter.  She  was  the  first  child  born  of  English  parents  in 
America,  and  was  baptized  by  the  name  Virginia. 

Governor  White  soon  sailed  for  England  to  get  further  help 
for  the  colony,  leaving  his  daughter  and  his  granddaughter,  little 
Virginia  Dare,  to  await  his  return.  That  was  the  last  he  ever  saw 
of  them.  When  he  returned  the  island  was  deserted ;  not  one  of 
the  colonists  was  ever  found.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  was  obliged  to 
give  up  his  project ;  and  America  was  left  with  not  a  single  English 
settler,  but  with  many  "  English  graves." 

Raleigh  had  spent  over  forty  thousand  pounds  on  the  colony. 
He  could  do  no  more  ;  but  he  said,  "  I  shall  live  to  see  it  an  Eng- 
lish nation."  He  did  live  to  see  a  permanent  English  settlement 
established  in  Virginia  in  1607.  A  hundred  and  eighty-five  years 
after  that  event  (1792)  Sir  Walter's  name  was  given  to  the  seat 
of  government  of  North  Carolina,  and  thus  the  "  City  of  Raleigh  " 
was  enrolled  among  the  capitals  of  the  United  States. 

Sir  Walter's  example  was  not  lost ;  for  from  his  day  England 
kept  the  colonization  of  America  in  mind,  until  it  was  finally  accom- 
plished. For  these  reasons  Raleigh  is  rightly  regarded  as  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  American  nation. 

29.  White  Settlers  in  1600  in  what  is  now  the  United  States. 
As  late  as  the  year  1 600  there  seemed  small  promise  that  this  coun- 
try would  ever  be  settled  and  governed  by  the  English-speaking 
race.  Look  at  the  situation.  More  than  a  hundred  years  had 
passed  since  Columbus  landed,  yet  the  only  white  inhabitants  of 
the  territory  now  embraced  in  the  United  States  were  a  few  hun- 
dred Spaniards  in  St.  Augustine,  Florida  (§  23),  and  perhaps  a 
few  hundred  more  in  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico. 

Over  the  rest  of  the  country,  embracing  more  than  three  mil- 
lions of  square  miles,  the  Indians  ruled  supreme.    France  had  tried 


1600]  WHITE  SETTLERS  IN  1600  31 

to  get  a  foothold  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  had  failed  (§§23,  24); 
England  had  tried  and  failed  likewise  (§§  26-28).  Spain  alone 
had  succeeded.  In  1600  it  certainly  looked  as  though  her  flag 
was  destined  to  wave  over  the  whole  continent  from  sea  to  sea. 

30.  What  America  was  found  to  be;  its  Physical  Geography. 
Looking  at  the  territory  now  included  in  the  United  States,  let 
us  see  what  the  explorers  of  that  age,  and  of  a  later  one,  found 
America  to  be.  In  great  measure  it  seemed  to  them  Europe  re- 
peated. It  has  practically  the  same  climate  and  the  same  soil.  It 
produces,  or  is  capable  of  producing,  the  same  trees,  the  same  fruits, 
the  same  crops,  with  the  valuable  addition  of  cotton,  sugar,  and  rice. 
In  all  ways  it  is  equally  favorable  to  human  health  and  life. 

But  this  is  not  all.  In  two  important  respects  America  is  supe- 
rior to  Europe.  That  continent  commands  the  Atlantic  only ;  but 
America  commands  two  oceans,  —  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific. 
We  can  send  our  ships  direct  to  Europe  and  Africa  from  our 
eastern  coast,  and  from  our  western  coast  we  can  send  them  direct 
to  Asia  and  Australia.    This  is  our  first  advantage. 

Our  second  advantage  is,  that  though  America  repeats  all  the 
natural  features  of  Europe,  —  its  lakes,  mountains,  plains,  rivers, 
and  forests,  —  yet  it  repeats  them  on  a  far  grander  scale.  Europe 
has  no  chains  of  mountains  which  can  compare  with  the  "  Rockies," 
no  lakes  equal  to  our  Great  Lakes,  no  river  like  the  Mississippi, 
no  falls  like  Niagara,  no  chasm  like  the  Canyon  of  the  Colorado 
(§  22),  no  prairies  like  those  of  our  western  states. 

In  fact,  no  continent  on  the  globe  ranks  higher  than  America, 
and  the  United  States  holds  the  best  part  of  it.  Besides  the 
natural  wealth  our  country  possesses  above  ground  in  its  climate, 
soils,  and  forests,  it  has  vast  stores  of  wealth  underground. 

Look  at  its  quarries  of  stone  for  building,  its  beds  of  clay  for 
making  brick,  its  varied  mineral  products,  gold,  silver,  copper,  and 
lead.  Better  still,  it  has  immense  mines  of  the  two  most  useful 
minerals  known  to  man  —  coal  and  iron.  From  these  gifts  of  na- 
ture we  have  drawn  riches  for  generations  ;  now  we  shall  safeguard 
them  against  waste  (§  430,  No.  3),  so  that  we  may  continue  to 
draw  riches  from  them  for  generations  to  come. 


32         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1600 

That  distinguished  English  statesman,  the  late  William  Glad- 
stone, declared  that  "  America  has  a  natural  base  for  the  greatest 
continuous  empire  ever  established  by  man."  Later  on  we  shall 
see  that  the  physical  geography  of  our  country  has  had  a  most 
important  influence  on  its  history.    (Map,  p.  43.) 

Such  was  the  land  spread  out  before  the  explorers.  It  seemed 
to  offer  to  all  who  were  disappointed  with  the  Old  World  an  oppor- 
tunity to  try,  in  America,  what  they  could  make  of  life  under  new 
and  broader  conditions. 

31.  The  Indians;  the  Population  then  and  now.  One  strange 
fact  about  the  country  was  that  east  of  the  Mississippi  the  whole 
vast  area  was  well-nigh  a  solitude.  Where  to-day  more  than  fifty 
million  white  men  live,  there  were  then  only  two  or  three  hun- 
dred thousand  Indians.  Sometimes  the  explorers  would  travel  for 
days  without  meeting  a  human  being.  The  only  roads  through  the 
forests  were  narrow  Indian  trails ;  the  only  farms  were  scattered 
patches  of  Indian  corn ;  the  only  cities  and  towns  were  occasional 
clusters  of  Indian  wigwams.1  The  truth  is,  that  the  Indians  did  not 
really  occupy  the  land  :  they  simply  possessed  it.  To  them  it  was 
mainly  a  hunting  ground  to  roam  over  or  a  battlefield  to  fight  on. 

32.  Personal  Appearance  of  the  Indians;  the  "Scalp  Lock.,, 
Columbus  called  the  natives  Indians  (§  11),  but  they  called  them- 
selves simply  "  Men,"  or  "  Real  Men  "  ;  "  Real  Men  "  they  cer- 
tainly often  proved  themselves  to  be.  The  most  numerous  body  of 
Indians  in  the  East  was  the  Algonquins  ;  the  ablest  and  the  most 
ferocious  was  the  Iroquois.  (Map,  p.  36.)  They  were  a  tall,  well- 
made  race,  with  a  color  usually  resembling  that  of  old  copper. 

The  men  cut  all  of  their  hair  off  close  to  the  head,  with  the 
exception  of  a  ridge  or  lock  in  the  middle.  That  was  left  as  a 
point  of  honor.  It  was  called  the  "scalp  lock."  Its  object  was 
to  give  an  adversary  —  if  he  could  get  it  —  a  fair  grip  in  fight, 
and  also  to  enable  him  to  pull  his  enemy's  scalp  off  as  a  trophy 
of  the  battle.  That  lock  was  the  Indian's  flag  of  defiance.  It 
waved  above  his  head  as  the  colors  do  over  a  fort,  as  if  to  say, 
u  Take  me  if  you  can  !  " 

1  See  Whitelaw  Reid's  "  Greatest  Fact  in  Modern  History." 


1600] 


HOW  THE  INDIANS  LIVED 


33 


33.  How  the  Indians  lived.  The  Indians  were  savages,  but 
seldom  degraded  savages.  They  lived  by  hunting,  fishing,  and  farm- 
ing. Their  farming,  however,  was  of  the  rudest  kind.  For  weapons 
they  had  bows  and  arrows,  hatchets  made  of  flint,  and  heavy  clubs. 

The  Indian  believed  in  a  strict  division  of  duties.  He  did  the 
hunting,  the  fighting,  the  scalping ;  his  wife  did  the  work.  She 
built  the  wigwam,  or  hut,  of  bark.1  She  planted  and  hoed  the  corn 
and  tobacco.  She  made  deerskin  clothes  for  the  family.  When 
they  moved,  she  carried  the  furniture  on  her  back.  Her  house- 
keeping was  simple.    She  kindled  a  fire  on  the  ground  by  rubbing 


two  dry  sticks  rapidly  together ;  then  she  roasted  the  meat  on 
the  coals  or  boiled  it  in  an  earthen  pot.  There  was  always  plenty 
of  smoke  and  dirt,  but  no  one  complained.  Housecleaning  was 
unknown. 

34.  The  Moccasin ;  the  Snowshoe ;  the  Birch-Bark  Canoe.  The 
most  ingenious  work  of  the  Indians  was  seen  in  the  moccasin, 
the  snowshoe,  and  the  birch-bark  canoe.  The  moccasin  was  a  shoe 
made  of  buckskin,  —  durable,  soft,  pliant,  noiseless.  It  was  the 
best  covering  for  a  hunter's  foot  that  human  skill  ever  contrived. 

1  The  wigwams  were  of  various  kinds.  Some  would  hold  only  a  single  family ;  others, 
as  among  the  Iroquois  tribe,  were  long,  low  tenement  houses,  large  enough  for  a  dozen  or 
more  families.   Some  wigwams  were  made  of  skins  or  built  of  logs. 


34         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1600 

The  snowshoe  was  a  light  frame  of  wood,  covered  with  a  net- 
work of  strings  of  hide,  and  having  such  a  broad  surface  that  the 
wearer  could  walk  on  top  of  the  snow  in  pursuit  of  game.  Without 
it  the  Indian  might  have  starved  in  a  severe  winter,  since  only  by 
its  use  could  he  run  down  the  deer  at  that  season. 

The  birch-bark  canoe  was  light,  strong,  and  easily  propelled.  It 
made  the  Indian  master  of  every  lake,  river,  and  stream.  Wher- 
ever there  were  water  ways  he  could  travel  quickly,  silently,  and 
with  little  effort.  He  could  go  in  his  own  private  conveyance  from 
the  source  of  the  Ohio  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ;  or  he  could  go 
from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Falls  of  Niagara  ;  then 
he  could  pick  up  his  canoe,  carry  it  round  the  falls,  and  begin  his 
journey  again  on  Lake  Erie  westward  to  Duluth  or  Chicago. 

35.  Indian  Government;  "Wampum."  Each  tribe  of  Indians 
had  a  chief,  but  the  chief  had  little  real  power.  All  important 
matters  were  settled  by  councils.  The  records  of  these  councils 
were  kept  in  a  peculiar  manner.  The  Indian  could  not  write,  but 
he  could  make  pictures  that  would  often  serve  the  purpose  of 


Treaty  Belt  made  of  Wampum 

writing.  The  treaty  made  by  the  Indians  with  William  Penn  was 
commemorated  by  a  belt  made  of  "  wampum,"  or  strings  of  beads 
made  of  shells.  It  represented  an  Indian  and  a  white  man  clasping 
each  other  by  the  hand  in  token  of  friendship.  That  was  the 
record  of  the  peace  established  between  them. 

But  quite  independent  of  any  picture,  the  arrangement  of  the 
beads  and  their  colors  had  a  meaning.  When  a  council  was  held, 
a  belt  was  made  to  show  what  had  been  done.  Every  tribe  had  its 
"  wampum  "  interpreters.  By  examination  of  a  belt  they  could  tell 
what  action  had  been  taken  at  any  public  meeting  in  the  past. 


1600]  INDIAN  "TOTEMS"  35 

The  beads  of  these  M  wampum  "  strings  had  another  use  :  they 
served  for  money,  and  a  certain  number  of  them  would  buy  a 
bushel  of  corn.  But  the  Indian  rarely  needed  these  beads  for  this 
purpose.  The  forest  supplied  him  and  his  family  with  food,  clothes, 
and  medicine.  Under  such  circumstances  a  pocket  full  of  money 
would  have  been  as  useless  to  him  as  to  a  bear. 

36.  Social  Condition  of  the  Indians;  "  Totems."  The  Indian 
had  less  liberty  than  the  white  man.  He  was  bound  by  customs 
handed  down  from  his  forefathers ;  he  could  not  marry  as  he 
pleased ;  he  could  not  sit  in  whatever  seat  he  chose  at  a  council ; 
he  could  not  even  paint  his  face  any  color  he  fancied,  for  a  young 
man  who  had  won  no  honors  in  battle  would  no  more  have  dared 
to  decorate  himself  like  a  veteran  warrior  than  a  private  soldier  in 
the  United  States  army  would  venture  to  appear  at  parade  in  the 
uniform  of  a  major  general. 

Each  clan  had  a  "  totem  "  or  badge,  to  designate  it.  The  "  totem  " 
was  usually  the  picture  of  a  squirrel,  crow,  or  some  other  wild  crea- 
ture. Among  the  Iroquois  the  figures  of  the  Bear,  Turtle,  and 
Wolf  were  the  coats-of-arms  of  the  "  first  families  "  of  the  Indian 
aristocracy.  The  "  totem  "  was  also  used  as  a  mark  on  gravestones 
and  as  a  seal.  When  the  United  States  sells  a  piece  of  land  to  a 
western  farmer,  it  stamps  the  deed  with  the  government  seal,  so 
when  an  Indian  sold  a  tract  of  land  to  a  white  man,'  he  marked 
the  deed  with  a  rude  representation  of  the  "totem  "  or  great  seal 
of  his  tribe. 

37.  Indian  Religion ;  Indian  Character.  The  Indian  usually  be- 
lieved in  a  "  Great  Spirit "  — all-powerful,  wise,  and  good  ;  but  he 
also  believed  in  many  inferior  spirits,  some  good  and  some  evil. 

Often  he  worshiped  the  evil  spirits  most.  He  said  :  The  Great 
Spirit  will  not  hurt  me,  even  if  I  do  not  pray  to  him,  for  he  is 
good  ;  but  if  I  don't  pray  to  the  evil  spirits,  they  may  get  mad 
and  do  me  mischief. 

Beyond  this  life  the  Indian  looked  for  another.  There  the 
brave  warrior  who  had  taken  many  scalps  would  enter  the  happy 
hunting  grounds ;  there  demons  would  flog  the  coward  to  never- 
ending  tasks  0 


36 


LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1600 


It  has  sometimes  been  said  that  "  the  only  good  Indian  is  a 
dead  Indian "  ;  but  judged  by  his  own  standard  of  right  and 
wrong,  the  red  man  was  conscientious.  He  would  not  steal  from 
his  own  tribe  ;  he  would  not  lie  to  his  friends  ;  he  never  became  a 
drunkard  till  the  white  man  taught  him. 

38.  The  Indian's  Self-Control ;  Torturing  Captives ;  Respect  for 
Courage.  The  Indian  rarely  expressed  his  feelings  in  words,  but 
he  frequently  painted  them  on  his  face  in  red,  black,  or  yellow 
paint.  You  could  tell  by  his  color  whether  he  meant  peace  or  war, 
whether  he  had  heard  good  news  or  bad.  He  sometimes  laughed 
and  shouted ;  he  seldom,  if  ever,  wept.    From  childhood  he  was 


Stark  running  the  Gantlet 


taught  to  despise  pain.  A  row  of  little  Indian  boys  would  some- 
times put  live  coals  under  their  naked  arms  and  then  press  them 
close  to  their  bodies.  The  game  was,  to  see  which  one  would  first 
raise  his  arms  and  drop  the  coal.  The  one  that  held  out  longest 
became  the  leader.  If  an  Indian  boy  met  with  an  accident,  and 
was  mortally  wounded,  he  scorned  to  complain ;  he  sang  his 
"  death  song "  and  died  like  a  veteran  warrior. 

The  Indians  either  adopted  their  captives  or  tortured  them. 
They  liked  to  see  how  much  agony  a  captive  could  bear  without 
crying  out.  The  surest  way  for  a  prisoner  to  save  his  life  was  to 
show  that  he  was  not  afraid  to  lose  it.  The  red  man  never  failed 
to  respect  courage. 

When  General  Stark  of  New  Hampshire  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Indians  (1752),   he  was  condemned  to  run  the   gantlet. 


1600]  THE  INDIAN  AND  THE  WHITE  MAN  37 

Two  long  rows  of  stalwart  young  warriors  were  formed.  Each 
man  had  a  club  or  stick  to  strike  Stark  as  he  passed.  But  Stark 
was  a  match  for  his  tormentors.  Just  as  he  started  on  the  terrible 
race  for  life  he  snatched  a  club  out  of  the  hands  of  the  nearest 
Indian,  and  knocking  down  the  astonished  savages  right  and 
left,  he  escaped  almost  unhurt.  The  old  men  of  the  tribe,  who 
stood  near,  roared  with  laughter  to  see  the  spruce  young  warriors 
sprawling  in  the  dust.  Instead  of  torturing  Stark,  they  treated 
him  as  a  hero. 

39.  The  Indian  and  the  White  Man;  what  the  White  Man 
learned  from  him.  The  Indian  was  a  treacherous  and  cruel 
enemy,  but  a  steadfast  friend. 

He  would  return  good  for  good,  but  he  knew  nothing  about 
returning  good  for  evil ;  on  the  contrary,  he  always  paid  bad  treat- 
ment by  bad  treatment  and  never  forgot  to  add  some  interest.  If 
he  made  a  treaty  he  kept  it  sacredly ;  it  is  said  that  in  no  instance 
can  it  be  proved  that  he  was  first  to  break  such  an  agreement. 
Those  of  the  early  white  settlers  who  made  friends  with  the  red 
man  had  no  cause  to  regret  it. 

The  Indian's  school  was  the  woods.  Whatever  the  woods  can 
teach  that  is  useful,  —  and  they  can  teach  much,  —  that  he  learned. 
He  knew  the  properties  of  every  plant,  and  the  habits  of  every 
animal.  The  natives  taught  the  white  man  many  of  these  things 
and  helped  him  to  get  fish  and  furs ;  but  the  most  useful  thing 
they  taught  the  European  settlers  was  how  to  raise  corn  in  the 
forest  without  first  cutting  down  the  trees. 

They  showed  them  how  to  kill  the  trees  by  burning  or  girdling 
them.  Then,  when  the  leaves  no  longer  grew,  the  sun  would  shine 
on  the  soil  and  ripen  the  corn.  There  were  times  in  the  history 
of  the  early  settlements  of  white  men  when  that  knowledge  saved 
them  from  starvation,  for  often  they  had  neither  time  nor  strength 
to  clear  the  soil  for  planting. 

40.  Influence  of  the  Indians  on  the  Early  History  of  the  Coun- 
try. But  we  shall  see  that  the  contact  between  the  red  men  and 
the  white  men  had  influences  in  other  ways.  Sometimes  the 
red  men  and  the  white  settlers  made  covenants  of  friendship  and 


38         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1600- 

agreed  to  help  each  other  fight ;  for  instance,  the  Iroquois  In- 
dians in  New  York  state  agreed  to  help  the  English  fight  the 
Canadian  French.  By  doing  so,  they  enabled  the  English  to 
keep  possession  of  the  Hudson  River.  If  the  Canadian  French 
could  have  got  that  river,  they  might  have  separated  the  Eng- 
lish colonists  in  New  England  from  those  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia  and  so  have  got  the  control  of  a  large  part  of  the 
Atlantic  coast. 

Finally,  the  Indian  wars  prevented  the  English  from  scatter- 
ing over  the  country.  These  contests  forced  the  white  men  to 
stand  by  each  other,  and  thus  trained  them  for  union  and  for 
independence. 

41.  Effects  of  the  Discovery  of  America  on  Europe.  What,  now, 
were  the  effects  of  the  discovery  of  the  New  World  on  Europe  ? 
They  may  be  summed  up  as  follows  : 

1.  There  was  a  sudden  and  immense  increase  of  geograph- 
ical knowledge.  That  made  it  necessary  to  construct  an  entirely 
new  map  of  the  globe.  That  map  showed  what  no  other  ever 
had  —  the  continents  of  North  and  South  America  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

2.  The  New  World  invited  new  enterprise :  it  offered  vast 
regions  to  be  explored  and  conquered.  Spain,  Portugal,  France, 
and  England  began  to  plan  western  empires  beyond  the  Atlan- 
tic. These  plans  gave  rise  to  a  struggle  for  the  mastery,  and 
to  important  and  decisive  wars,  especially  between  England  and 
France.  Men  of  every  rank  turned  their  attention  to  America,  — 
some  sought  wealth,  others  political  power,  others  a  refuge  from 
religious  or  political  oppression.  Here  was  room  and  opportu- 
nity for  all. 

3.  The  discovery  of  the  precious  metals  in  Mexico  and  South 
America  had  far-reaching  effects.  Before  those  mines  were  found 
there  had  often  been  great  scarcity  of  gold  and  silver  in  Europe. 
But  the  treasure  Spain  obtained  from  America  enabled  her  mon- 
archs  to  equip  armies,  build  palaces,  and  make  public  improve- 
ments of  all  kinds.  Thus  the  riches  which  poured  in  from  the 
New  World  gave  a  great  impulse  to  the  life  of  the  Old  World. 


1600-]  WHAT  AMERICA  DID  FOR  EUROPE       .  39 

4.  Intercourse  with  America  had  an  immense  influence  on 
trade  and  navigation.  Before  Columbus  sailed,  the  commerce  of 
Europe  was  confined  chiefly  to  the  Mediterranean.  Then  little 
vessels  crept  cautiously  along  the  shore,  peddling  out  their  petty 
cargoes  from  port  to  port.  But  now  men  began  to  build  large 
and  strong  ships,  fit  to  battle  with  Atlantic  storms,  and  ocean 
commerce  commenced.  Trade  took  its  first  great  step  toward 
encircling  the  globe. 

5.  New  products  were  obtained  from  America.  We  gave  Europe 
Indian  corn,1  the  tomato,  the  turkey,  and  the  potato,  for  which 
tens  of  thousands  of  half-fed  European  laborers  were  grateful. 

We  also  gave  the  people  of  Europe  such  luxuries  as  cocoa 
and  tobacco,  and  such  drugs,  dyestuffs,  and  valuable  woods  and 
gums  as  Peruvian  bark,  cochineal,  logwood,  mahogany,  and  india 
rubber. 

6.  Before  the  discovery  of  America  sugar,  cotton,  rice,  and 
coffee,  when  used  at  all,  were  imported  by  Europe  from  the 
Indies. 

But  these  things  were  then  so  costly  that  only  the  rich  could 
afford  to  use  them.  Now  they  were  either  rediscovered  in 
America,  or  transplanted  here.  In  time  they  became  cheap  and 
plentiful,  so  that  even  the  poor  of  the  Old  World  came  to  regard 
them  as  necessaries  of  life. 

7.  But  the  discovery  of  America  had  still  greater  results,  for  it 
made  men's  minds  grow  larger  because  it  compelled  them  to  think 
of  a  much  larger  world  than  they  had  ever  thought  of  in  the  past. 
The  voyage  to  America  was  like  a  journey  to  another  planet.  It 
made  the  people  of  Europe  acquainted  with  a  new  race  —  the 
Indians  —  and  with  new  animals,  new  plants,  new  features  of 
nature,  new  fields  of  enterprise.  Everybody  felt  that  America 
meant  opportunity.  That  was  a  wonderful  thought.  It  filled  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  men  with  new  hope,  with  new  courage,  and 
it  stimulated  them  to  undertake  what  they  would  not  have  dared 
to  do  before. 

1  Maize,  or  Indian  corn,  if  not  first  introduced  to  Europe  from  America,  was  first  practi- 
cally introduced  from  here  ;  so,  too,  was  india  rubber. 


40         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1600- 

42.  Summary.  The  period  embraced  in  this  section  covers  the 
greater  part  of  a  century.  In  it  we  have  three  classes  of  discoveries 
and  explorations  : 

1 .  Those  of  the  Spaniards ;  these  were  confined  to  the  south. 
They  comprised  Florida,  the  Pacific,  the  Mississippi  River,  Mexico, 
and  part  of  the  country  north  and  east  of  it. 

2.  Those  of  the  French  ;  these  related  to  the  river  St.  Lawrence 
and  to  expeditions  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Florida  and  vicinity. 

3.  Those  of  the  English;  these  included  explorations  in  the 
north,  those  of  Drake  on  the  Pacific,  but,  more  important  than  all, 
those  sent  out  by  Raleigh  to  Virginia. 

We  have  followed  the  Spanish  expeditions  of  Ponce  de  Leon, 
Balboa,  Cortez,  De  Soto,  and  Coronado.  We  have  witnessed  the 
struggle  between  the  French  and  the  Spaniards  for  the  possession 
of  Florida,  and  have  seen  it  end  with  the  triumph  of  the  Spaniards 
and  the  founding  of  St.  Augustine  (1565),  the  oldest  town  in  the 
United  States. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  have  seen  that  the  English  expeditions 
of  Frobisher,  Davis,  and  Gilbert,  with  Raleigh's  attempts  to  estab- 
lish a  colony  in  Virginia,  all  failed,  and  that  the  country  was  left 
in  1600  with  no  white  occupants  but  the  Spaniards,  who  seemed 
destined  to  keep  all  of  America  to  themselves. 

Finally,  we  have  compared  the  physical  geography  of  America 
with  that  of  Europe,  considered  the  effects  of  the  contact  of  the 
white  men  and  the  Indians,  and  have  set  forth  the  important 
results  of  the  discovery  of  America  on  Europe. 


Ill 

"It  cannot  be  denied  that  with  America  and  in  America  a  new  era  com- 
mences in  human  affairs."  —  Daniel  Webster. 


PERMANENT   ENGLISH   AND   FRENCH 
SETTLEMENTS1 


THE  THIRTEEN  COLONIES   •  FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  WEST   •  WARS 

WITH  THE  INDIANS  AND  WITH  THE  FRENCH   •   COLONIAL  LIFE   . 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE   COLONIES   (1607-1763) 


I.    Virginia,   1607 

43.  The  desire  to  go  to  Virginia ;  King  James  I  grants  a  charter. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  work  was  hard  to  find 
in  England.  This  caused  much  distress,  and  thousands  who  were 
out  of  employment  naturally  turned  their  eyes  toward  America. 
Many  felt  that  Virginia  (§  28)  stood  like  an  open  door  inviting 
them  to  settle  in  the  New  World. 

1  Reference  Books,  {ist,  The  Thirteen  Colonies.)  R.  G.  Thwaites'  "  Colonies," 
ch.  4-10,  13;  W.  C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "United  States"  (revised  edition),  I,  ch. 
11-21;  II,  ch.  1-19;  G.  Bancroft's  "United  States"  (revised  edition),  I,  Parti, 
ch.  6-19,  Part  II,  ch.  1-19;  II,  Part  III,  ch.  1-4,  15-16;  R.  Hildreth's  "United 
States,"  I,  ch.  3-15;  II,  ch.  16-24;  A.  B.  Hart's  "Source  Book,"  ch.  3-5,  7-8; 
A.  B.  Hart's  "American  History  by  Contemporaries,"  I,  ch.  6,  8,  10-26;  II,  ch. 
3-16;  L.  G.  Tyler's  "  England  in  America,"  ch.  3-19  ;  C.  M.  Andrews'  "  Colonial 
Self-Government,"  ch.  1-19;  E.  B.  Greene's  "Provincial  America,"  ch.  1,  15-18. 

(2d,  The  French  Exploration  of  the  West.)  Bryant  and  Gay  (above),  II,  ch.  21  ; 
F.  Parkman's  "  Discovery  of  the  Great  West,"  ch.  5-20 ;  R.  G.  Thwaites'  "  France 
in  America,"  ch.  4  ;  Hart's  "  Source  Book  "  (above),  p.  96 ;  Hart's  Contemporaries 
(above),  I,  136,  140. 

(3d,  The  French  and  Indian  Wars.)  Thwaites'  "  Colonies  "  (above),  pp.  254- 
257»  277-278;  A.  B.  Hart's  "Formation  of  the  Union,"  pp.  23-41  ;  F.  Parkman's 
"  A  Half-Century  of  Conflict,"  II,  ch.  18-20  ;  F.  Parkman's  "  Montcalm  and  Wolfe," 
II,  ch.  24-25,  27-28;  Hart's  Contemporaries  (above),  II,  ch.  19-20. 

(4th,  The  Colonies  in  1763.)  G.  C.  Eggleston's  "  Life  in  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury," ch.  13,  17,  19-21;  E.  Eggleston's  "American  Colonists,"  in  the  Century 
Magazine,  March  and  May,  1883,  January,  June,  and  October,  1884,  and  April  and 
July,  1885  ;  J-  Schouler's  "Americans  of  1776."  See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books 
in  the  Appendix. 

4i 


PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY  AND   HISTORY 

See  Winsor's  "America]'1  IV,  i-xxx;  Skater's  "United  States,"  and  "  Our  Continent"; 

Farrand's  "Basis  of  American  History'1'1;  Semite's  "American  History 

and  its  Geographic  Conditions." 

The  physical  geography  of  the  United  States  has  had  and  must  continue  to  have  a  pow- 
erful influence,  not  only  on  the  health  and  industry  but  on  the  character  and  progress  of 
the  American  people. 

I.  The  English  colonies  were  planted  on  rivers  or  harbors  which  invited  settlement  and 
favored  their  commercial  intercourse  with  the  mother  country,  with  the  West  Indies,  and 
with  each  other. 

II.  The  Appalachian  range  barred  the  West  against  the  colonists  and  confined  them  to 
a  long,  narrow  strip  bordering  on  the  sea.  This  limitation  of  soil  had  important  effects  on 
the  occupations  and  the  exports  of  the  settlers,  while  it  encouraged  the  development  of 
union,  political  strength,  and  independence. 

III.  The  Canadian  French,  on  the  other  hand,  having  control  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  Great  Lakes,  soon  got  temporary  possession  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  This  led  to  a 
war  which  ended  by  giving  the  West  to  the  English  colonists. 

IV.  The  first  English-speaking  settlements  made  west  of  the  Alleghenies  were  planted 
on  streams  flowing  into  the  Mississippi,  —  a  river  system  35,000  miles  in  extent,  watering  the 
great  central  valley  of  the  continent.  Later,  the  steamboat  made  that  vast  region  accessible 
in  all  directions. 

V.  After  the  colonies  secured  their  independence,  the  boundaries  of  the  American 
Republic  were  fixed  by  successive  treaties.  These  boundaries  were  determined,  to  a  great 
extent,  by  (1)  coast  lines  ;  (2)  rivers  and  lakes  ;  (3)  watersheds  ;  (4)  mountain  ranges.  In  1783 
our  possessions  bordered  upon  the  Atlantic  only;  in  1803  they  touched  the  Gulf  of  Mexico; 
in  1846  they  reached  the  Pacific  (see  "Table  of  Boundaries"). 

VI.  The  most  pressing  question  with  every  rapidly  growing  people  is  that  of  food  supply. 
Some  nations  of  Europe  —  notably  Great  Britain  —  can  only  feed  themselves  by  importing 
provisions.  America  is  so  fortunate  in  soil,  climate,  and  extent  of  territory,  that  the  people 
produce  not  only  all  the  breadstuff's  and  meats  they  require,  but  they  have  an  immense  sur- 
plus for  exportation. 

VII.  Next  in  importance  to  grain  and  meats  are  cotton,  wool,  timber,  coal,  petroleum, 
iron,  copper,  and  the  precious  metals.  These  products  are  powerful  factors  in  the  develop- 
ment of  modern  civilization,  and  it  is  believed  that  no  continent  is  richer  in  them  than  our  own. 

VIII.  While  cotton  fastened  slavery  on  the  South,  the  abundant  water  power  of  New 
England  gave  the  first  impulse  to  American  cotton  manufacturing.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
western  prairies  stimulated  agriculture  and  immigration,  and  encouraged  the  building  of 
railways,  which  in  twenty  years  did  more  to  open  up  the  country  than  two  centuries  had 
done  before.  Again,  physical  geography  has  influenced  legislation  respecting  labor,  the 
tariff,  trade,  currency,  and  the  building  of  roads  and  canals ;  furthermore,  it  determined 
decisive  military  movements  in  the  Revolution  (see  Washington's  retreat  across  the  Dela- 
ware, §  173)  and  the  Civil  War  (see  §§  334,  335,  336). 

IX.  Experience  proves  that  the  physical  conditions  of  the  United  States  favor  health, 
vigor,  and  longevity.  Statistics  show  that  in  size  and  weight  the  American  people  are  fully 
equal,  if  not,  indeed,  superior,  to  Europeans,  while  their  average  length  of  life  appears  to  be 
somewhat  greater  (see  Rhodes's  "  United  States,"  III,  j^  7i)- 

X.  The  conclusion  of  eminent  scientists  is  that  no  part  of  the  globe  is  better  suited  to 
the  requirements  of  one  of  the  master  races  of  the  world  than  the  United  States,  and  such 
statesmen  as  Lincoln  and  Gladstone  have  declared  their  belief  that  this  country  has  a  nat- 
ural base  for  the  greatest  continuous  empire  ever  established  by  man. 

42 


43 


44         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1607 

Virginia  was  a  country  of  vast  extent.  It  stretched  northward 
from  Cape  Fear  to  the  middle  of  Nova  Scotia,  —  a  distance  of  a 
thousand  miles  ;  westward  it  reached  to  the  Pacific. 

King  James  I  granted  a  charter  authorizing  two  trading  com- 
panies in  England  to  send  out  emigrants.  The  London  Company 
had  the  right  to  plant  a  colony  in  the  southern  part  of  Virginia, 
while  the  Plymouth  Company  had  power  to  plant  one  in  the 
northern  part,  but  it  never  succeeded  in  doing  so.    (Map,  p.  51.) 

Both  companies  were  full  of  great  expectations.  They  hoped  to 
find  mines  of  gold  and  silver  in  the  Virginia  woods,  or,  if  they 
failed  in  that,  to  find  a  water  passage  through  the  country  to  the 
Pacific,  the  Indies,  and  the  Spice  Islands  (§  14). 

44.  Government  of  the  Virginia  Colonies.  The  royal  charter 
provided  that  each  colony  should  be  governed  by  a  council  in 
Virginia,  which  was  subject  to  a  council  in  England  under  con- 
trol of  the  King. 

The  most  important  article  in  the  charter  was  that  in  which  the 
King  declared  that  the  settlers  in  Virginia  should  enjoy  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  possessed  by  the  people  living  in  England. 
This  article  he  repeated  in  many  other  colonial  charters.  We 
ought  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  English  sovereign  was  the  only 
one  in  Europe  who  would  grant  such  an  advantage  as  that  to 
those  who  left  their  homes  to  go  to  America. 

Many  additional  instructions  were  given,  among  them  were  four 
which  required  : 

1 .  That  the  colonists  should  establish  the  Church  of  England 
as  the  only  form  of  worship. 

2.  That  for  five  years  no  land  should  be  granted  to  any  settler, 
but  all  were  to  deposit  the  products  of  their  labor  in  the  Company's 
warehouses,  from  which  they  would  receive  necessary  supplies  of 
provisions  and  clothing. 

3 .  The  colonists  were  expected  to  carefully  explore  all  the  rivers 
near  them  to  see  if  they  could  find  a  short  and  easy  way  by  which 
vessels  might  get  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

4.  The  colonists  were  ordered  to  take  pickaxes  with  them  to  dig 
for  precious  metals. 


1607]  JAMESTOWN   SETTLED  45 

45.  The  London  Company's  Colony  sails ;  Captain  John  Smith. 

The  London  Company  (§43)  soon  sent  out  emigrants.  Very  few 
of  them  were  fit  to  struggle  with  the  rough  life  of  the  American 
wilderness.  The  majority  had  no  intention  of  remaining.  They 
expected  to  pick  up  fortunes  and  then  go  back  to  England  to 
spend  them. 

Luckily  there  was  a  young  man  of  decided  ability  among  them. 
This  was  Captain  John  Smith.  His  energy  and  courage  saved  the 
emigrants  from  starvation. 

46.  The  Emigrants  settle  Jamestown,  Virginia,  1607;  Condi- 
tion of  the  Colony.  The  expedition  reached  the  American  coast  in 
the  spring  of  1607.  The  colonists  numbered  104  ;  all  were  men. 
They  sailed  up  a  river  of  Virginia,  which  they  named  the  James 
River,  in  honor  of  the  King ;  for  the  same  reason  they  named  the 
settlement  which  they  began  (May  13)  on  a  peninsula  (now  an 
island)  on  that  river,  Jamestown. 

But  although  the  royal  charter  gave  the  settlers  the  same  rights 
in  America  which  they  had  enjoyed  in  England  (§  44),  yet  they 
did  not  receive  them  at  once.  At  home  many  of  them  had  the 
power  to  vote  and  to  take  part  in  making  the  laws  by  which  they 
were  governed ;  in  the  Virginia  forests  they  could  do  neither. 
But  we  shall  see  that  some  years  later  the  colonists  obtained  all 
the  rights  which  the  King  had  promised  them  (§  51). 

Next,  they  owned  no  land,  and  the  work  of  their  hands  did  not 
belong  to  them.  In  this  last  respect  they  were  worse  off  than  the 
poorest  day  laborer  they  had  left  behind  them.  Furthermore,  the 
idle  man  was  certain  that  he  would  not  suffer,  for  he  could  draw 
provisions  out  of  the  common  storehouse  ;  the  industrious  man,  on 
the  other  hand,  knew  that  by  the  sweat  of  his  toil  he  must  feed 
the  idle.  Yet  we  should  never  forget  that,  in  spite  of  all  these 
drawbacks,  this  little  band  of  men  laid  the  first  foundation  stone 
of  the  American  Republic.  Three  hundred  years  later  (1907)  we 
celebrated  that  landing  at  Jamestown,  and  the  great  nations  of  the 
world  sent  war  ships  to  join  us  in  that  celebration. 

47.  Sufferings  of  the  Colonists ;  Search  for  the  Pacific ;  Poca- 
hontas.   The  new  settlers  built  a  small  fort  as  a  defense  against 


46         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1607 

the  Indians.  Then  instead  of  building  houses  they  made  them- 
selves some  rude  shelters  out  of  branches  of  trees  or  old  sails. 

Soon  many  fell  sick,  and  by  autumn  half  of  the  colonists  had 
died.  When  the  cool  weather  set  in  matters  began  to  improve, 
and  the  men  put  up  some  log  cabins  for  themselves.  Later,  they 
urged  Captain  Smith  to  lead  an  exploring  expedition  to  find  the 
Pacific  Ocean  (§§43,  44).  They  set  out  in  high  spirits,  supposing 
that,  at  that  point,  the  country  was  less  than  200  miles  across 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific ! 

In  the  course  of  the  exploration  Smith  was  captured  by  the  In- 
dians, and  taken  to  their  chief,  Powhatan.    The  chief  was  "  a  tall. 


Building  the  Fort  at  Jamestown 

sour-looking  old  man";  he  ordered  his  warriors  to  knock  Smith's 
brains  out.  According  to  the  captain's  account,  he  was  saved  by 
Pocahontas,  the  chief's  youthful  daughter,  who  ran  up,  just  as  the 
club  was  raised,  and  put  her  arms  around  the  prisoner's  head.1 

Some  years  afterward,  John  Rolfe,  a  Virginia  colonist,  became  in- 
terested in  Pocahontas.  He  labored  to  convert  that  tender-hearted 
heathen  and  make  a  Christian  of  her.  While  engaged  in  this 
agreeable  work  he  fell  in  love  with  her  and  married  her.  The 
marriage  made  Powhatan  the  firm  friend  of  the  colony  at  a  time 
when  it  needed  all  the  friends  it  could  get. 

1  Up  to  i860  the  truth  of  the  Pocahontas  story  had  never  been  questioned ;  but  certain 
inconsistencies  in  Smith's  account  of  the  affair  led  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Deane  to  deny 
its  authenticity;  see  Winsor's  "America,"  III,  if  I.  For  a  defense  of  Smith's  account,  see 
Professor  Arber's  edition  of  Smith's  works,  and  his  article  in  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica 
on  "  John  Smith  "  ;  also  John  Fiske's  article  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  December,  1895. 


1608]  THE  FRENCH  SETTLE  IN  CANADA  47 

48.  Gold?  the  French  settle  in  Canada  (1608);  the  Colony's 
Debt  to  Smith;  the  Colonists  set  out  to  leave  Jamestown.    Not 

long  after  Smith's  adventure  with  the  Indians,  one  of  the  settlers 
found  a  yellowish  substance  which  some  said  was  gold.  Smith 
called  it  "rubbish,"  and  declared  that  the  American  cod  fisheries 
would  be  worth  more  to  the  English  people  than  any  gold  mine. 
But  the  colonists  loaded  a  vessel  with  the  "  gilded  dust "  and  sent 
it  home.  The  stuff  turned  out  to  be  that  worthless  kind  of  glitter- 
ing iron  ore  popularly  known  as  "  fool's  gold." 

In  the  summer  of  that  year  (1608)  an  event  occurred  destined 
to  have  important  results.  Champlain,  a  famous  French  explorer, 
sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Quebec,  and  there  established  the 
first  permanent  French  colony  in  America.  It  was  the  feeble  be- 
ginning of  a  rival  power  which  was  one  day  to  dispute  the  right 
of  the  English  to  possess  any  part  of  the  country. 

Shortly  after  this  date  Smith  was  chosen  governor  of  the  colony. 
He  made  a  rule  that  no  one  should  stand  idle.  Under  him  those 
who  tried  to  live  without  working  soon  found  that  they  must  also 
try  that  harder  thing  —  to  live  without  eating.  But  the  Captain's 
term  of  office  was  short,  for  he  met  with  a  fearful  accident  that 
made  it  necessary  for  him  to  return  to  England.  He  never  revisited 
the  colony. 

After  he  had  gone,  the  Indians  began  depredations.  Every- 
thing went  to  rack  and  ruin.  Sickness  and  famine  set  in.  In  six 
months  only  sixty  persons  were  left  out  of  five  hundred.  A  ship 
came,  bringing  more  colonists  and  some  supplies ;  but  matters 
looked  so  discouraging  that  the  settlers  resolved  to  abandon  the 
country  and  go  back  to  England. 

49.  Lord  Delaware;  Governor  Dale;  the  Great  Land  Reform. 
Lord  Delaware,  the  new  governor  sent  out  from  London,  met 
them  as  they  were  leaving  Jamestown,  and  compelled  them  to 
turn  back.  He  had  the  power  of  ruling  by  military  law,  and  could 
hang  a  man  without  a  jury  to  decide  his  guilt. 

Lord  Delaware  was  succeeded  by  Governor  Dale.  He  was  a 
stern  old  soldier,  determined  to  preserve  order.  If  a  colonist  talked 
against  his  regulations,   the  Governor  bored  a  hole  through  his 


48         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1608-1612 

tongue :  that  kept  him  quiet  for  a  while.  If  a  man  refused  to  go 
to  church,  he  put  him  on  short  allowance  of  victuals,  and  whipped 
him  every  day  until  he  begged  to  hear  preaching. 

But  the  new  governor  was  not  a  tyrant.  He  really  sought  the 
welfare  of  the  colony.  He  practically  abolished  the  old  system  of 
living  out  of  the  public  storehouse  (§  46).  To  every  settler  he  gave 
a  small  piece  of  land,  and  allowed  him  a  certain  number  of  days 
in  the  year  to  work  on  it  for  himself. 

From  this  time  a  new  spirit  animated  the  community.  Before 
this,  no  matter  how  hard  a  man  toiled  he  had  nothing  he  could 
call  his  own.  But  now  every  man  could  look  with  pride  on  his 
little  garden,  and  say,  "This  is  mine."  That  feeling  gave  him 
heart ;  before,  he  had  worked  in  silence  ;  now,  he  whistled  while  he 
worked.  Before,  he  had  not  cared  much  whether  he  had  the  right 
to  vote  or  not ;  but  now  that  he  was  a  property  holder,  he  wanted 
that  right,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  he  soon  got  it. 

50.  What  Tobacco  did  for  Virginia.  At  this  time  (161 2)  John 
Rolfe,  the  husband  of  Pocahontas  (§  47),  began  the  systematic 
cultivation  of  tobacco  (§27).  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  it  came 
to  be  the  greatest  industry  in  Virginia.1  At  one  time  even  the 
streets  of  Jamestown  were  planted  with  it.  It  took  the  place  of 
money,  and  clergymen  and  public  officers  received  their  salaries  in 
it.  Before  this,  America  had  practically  nothing  to  export.  With 
tobacco,  commerce  began ;  for  Europe  was  ready  to  buy  all  the 
colonists  could  raise. 

The  outlook  of  the  colony  now  began  to  change  for  the  better. 
The  cultivation  of  tobacco  had  four  important  effects  : 

1.  It  directly  encouraged  the  settlers  to  clear  the  land  and 
undertake  working  it  on  a  large  scale. 

2.  It  established  a  highly  profitable  trade  with  Europe. 

3.  It  induced  emigrants  who  had  some  money,  and  also  in- 
dustrious farmers,  to  come  over  to  Virginia  and  engage  in  the 
new  industry 

1  The  value  of  the  tobacco  crop  of  the  United  States  is  now  about  $91,000,000  annually ; 
that  of  cotton,  the  cultivation  of  which  was  begun  about  the  same  time,  but  not  then  extended, 
is  upwards  of  $820,000,000.  See  Abstract  of  Census  of  19 10. 


Captain  John  Smith 


49 


50         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1612-1619 


4.  It  introduced  the  importation  of  negro  slaves  as  the  cheapest 
means  of  carrying  on  great  tobacco  plantations. 

The  tobacco  farms  were  on  the  banks  of  the  James  or  other 
rivers,  and  vessels  could  load  at  them  direct  for  England.  But 
the  cultivation  of  tobacco  exhausted  the  soil.  This  compelled  the 
planters  to  constantly  add  new  land  to  their  estates,  and  so  pushed 

the  owners  farther  and 
farther  apart  from  each 
other. 

One  result  of  this 
separation  and  of  the 
lack  of  towns  was  that 
neither  schools  nor 
printing  presses  came 
into  existence  until 
very  late.  The  mass 
of  the  people  had  to 
get  their  education 
from  nature,  not  from 
books  or  newspapers. 
Another  result  of 
the  want  of  towns 
was  that  men  seldom 
met  to  discuss  public 
matters. 
51.  Virginia  becomes  practically  Self-governing,  16 19;  Im- 
portation of  Wives.  The  year  161 9  was  a  memorable  one  in  the 
history  of  the  colony.  That  year  Sir  George  Yeardley  came  over 
from  England  as  governor.  Acting  under  instructions  from  the 
London  Company,  he  summoned  a  general  assembly  or  Legisla- 
ture, to  be  elected  by  all  the  freemen  of  Virginia.  Later,  none 
but  taxpayers  could  take  part  in  the  election  of  members  of  the 
Legislature. 

The  choosing  of  this  Assembly  was  the  first  step  in  carrying 
out  that  provision  in  the  charter  which  gave  every  colonist  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  he  had  at  home  in  England  (§  44). 


Loading  a  Cargo  of  Tobacco 


5i 


52         LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY  [1619 

The  colony  now  consisted  of  eleven  plantations,  or  towns,1 
later  called  boroughs.  Each  of  these  boroughs  was  invited  to 
send  two  representatives  or  burgesses.  They  met  in  the  church 
at  Jamestown,  Friday,  July  30,  16 19.  This  House  of  Burgesses 
was  the  first  lawmaking  assembly  that  ever  came  together  in 
America. 

At  last  the  colonists  had  practically  obtained  the  right  of 
managing  their  own  affairs.  Spain  would  not  grant  that  power 
to  her  colonists  in  St.  Augustine  or  elsewhere.  France  would  not 
grant  it  to  Quebec  or  to  her  other  settlements.  England  gave 
that  privilege  —  the  greatest  she  could  give  —  to  her  colonists 
in  the  New  World.  Later,  the  right  was  restricted,  but  it  was 
never  wholly  taken  away.  When  the  American  Revolution  be- 
gan we  find  that  Washington,  Jefferson,  Lee,  Patrick  Henry,  and 
many  other  eminent  men  were  active  members  of  the  Legislature 
of  Virginia. 

But  though  the  men  could  now  discuss  politics  and  make  laws, 
many  of  them  had  no  proper  homes,  for  but  few  unmarried  women 
had  emigrated  to  Virginia.  To  remedy  this  serious  deficiency,  the 
London  Company  sent  out  a  goodly  number  of  young  women. 
The  cost  of  the  passage  for  each  was  fixed  at  1 20  pounds  of  the 
best  tobacco. 

When  the  long-looked-for  ship  arrived,  the  young  unmarried 
men  were  waiting  at  the  wharf,  and  those  who  had  their  tobacco 
ready  soon  managed  to  get  wives  in  exchange.  The  brides  liked 
the  country  so  well  that  they  wrote  back  to  England,  and  persuaded 
more  maids  to  come  over  and  take  pity  on  the  forlorn  bachelors  in 
the  American  wilderness. 

52.  Introduction  of  Negro  Slavery,  16 19 ;  White  M  Appren- 
tices "  or  "  Servants/ '  In  the  records  of  this  same  remarkable 
year  of   16 19  we  read:  "  About  the  last  of  August  came  in  a 

1  No  counties  had  then  been  laid  out  in  Virginia.  Later,  when  counties  were  organized, 
nearly  all  the  representatives  were  sent  from  them.  This  made  the  Virginia  system  of  gov- 
ernment far  less  democratic  than  that  of  Massachusetts  (settled  later),  for  in  Massachusetts 
all  public  affairs  were  at  first  decided  by  the  whole  body  of  voters,  and  not  by  a  selected 
number  of  persons  representing  them.  When  the  population  of  Massachusetts  became  too 
large  for  this,  the  towns,  instead  of  the  counties,  sent  representatives  to  the  Legislature. 


1619] 


THE  FIRST  SLAVES 


53 


Dutch  man-of-war  that  sold  us  20  Negars."    This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  African  slavery  in  the  English  colonies  of  America. 

At  that  time  every  leading  nation  of  western  Europe  traded 
in  negroes.  No  one  then  condemned  the  traffic,  for  no  man's 
conscience  was  troubled  by  it,  and  at  a  much  later  period  the 
King  of  England  derived  a  large  income  from  selling  slaves  in 
America.  The  system  gradually  spread  over  the  country,  and  a 
little  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  later  (1776)  every  one 
of  the  thirteen  American  colonies  held  slaves. 
At  the  North  the  negroes  were  mostly 
house  servants,  and  were  not  very  numer- 
ous ;  but  at  the  South  they 
were  employed  chiefly  in 
the  fields.  Many  of  the 
wisest  and  best  men  did 
not  then  see  how  to- 
bacco, rice,  and  cotton 
could  be  raised  without 
slave  labor. 

Still,  for  a  long  time  the 
increase  of  negro  slaves  in 
Virginia  was  very  slow,  for 
many  white  people  were 
sent  over  from  England 
to  be  bound  out  as  "ap- 
prentices" or  "servants"  to  planters  for  a  certain  number  of  years. 
These  apprentices  came  from  different  classes  : 

1 .  Some  of  them  were  enterprising  young  men  who  wanted  to 
get  a  start  in  America,  but,  having  no  money  to  pay  their  passage, 
bound  themselves  to  work  for  the  London  Company,  provided  they 
would  bring  them  over. 

2.  Some  were  poor  children,  picked  up  in  the  streets  of  London 
and  sent  over  to  Virginia  to  get  homes. 

3.  Others  were  young  men  who  were  kidnaped  at  night  by 
gangs  of  scoundrels  who  shipped  them  off  as  servants "  to 
America. 


The  First  Negro  Slaves  brought 
to  Virginia 


54         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1619-1624 

4.  At  a  later  date,  when  wars  and  insurrections  broke  out  in 
England,  many  prisoners  taken  in  battle  were  sent  over  here  and 
sold  to  planters. 

5.  Finally,  the  King  sent  some  convicts  to  Virginia.  Again, 
English  judges  opened  the  jails  from  time  to  time  and  sent  over 
batches  of  criminals,  some  of  whom  had  done  nothing  worse,  per- 
haps, than  steal  a  loaf  of  bread  to  keep  from  starving. 

Thus,  many  elements  contributed  to  build  up  the  new  common- 
wealth. In  this  respect  Virginia  resembled  the  "  made  land  "  of 
some  of  our  cities.  There  is  good  material  in  it,  and  there  is  some 
not  so  good ;  but  in  time  it  all  helps  to  make  the  solid  foundation 
of  stately  streets  and  broad  avenues. 

While  the  South  was  thus  growing,  Dutch  and  English  emi- 
grants had  settled  at  the  North.  The  former  established  them- 
selves in  what  is  now  New  York,  the  latter,  a  little  later,  founded 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts. 

53.  Virginia  becomes  a  Royal  Province;  Governor  Berkeley; 
the  Puritans  and  the  Cavaliers.  After  a  time  King  James  I  took 
away  the  Company's  charter  (1624).  In  future  the  colony  was  to 
be  governed  by  the  King  as  a  royal  province ;  but  the  Assembly 
or  Legislature  (§51)  was  not  prohibited,  and  the  people  continued 
to  make  their  own  laws  to  a  considerable  extent. 

The  next  king,  Charles  I,  sent  over  Sir  William  Berkeley  as 
governor.  The  new  governor  had  small  faith  in  government  by 
the  people,  in  education  of  the  people,1  or  in  any  religion  but  that 
of  the  Church  of  England. 

The  majority  of  the  well-to-do  colonists  and  of  the  rich  tobacco 
planters  agreed  with  the  Governor.  They  thought  it  was  better  not 
to  give  the  privileges  of  education  and  the  right  to  vote  and  to  hold 
office  to  everybody  who  asked  for  them,  but  to  grant  them  only  to 
persons  of  property  and  standing. 

But  at  that  time  there  was  a  strong  party  in  England  who 
called  themselves   Puritans,  because  they  insisted  on  purifying, 

1  Speaking  of  the  colony  in  167 1,  Governor  Berkeley  said:  "  I  thank  God  there  are  no 
free  schools  nor  printing,  and  I  hope  we  shall  not  have  them  these  hundred  years."  His 
reason  was  that  he  thought  common-school  education  would  make  the  mass  of  the  people 
discontented  and  rebellious  against  authority ;  but  he  subscribed  toward  a  college 


1624-1600]  THE  NAVIGATION   LAWS  55 

as  they  said,  the  national  Episcopal  Church  from  some  of  its  cere- 
monies and  methods  to  which  they  conscientiously  objected.  The 
Puritans  were  opposed  to  King  Charles,  because  he  attempted  to 
rule  the  country  contrary  to  law. 

Finally,  civil  war  broke  out  in  England.  On  one  side  the  King 
had  an  army  made  up  of  Royalists,  or  Cavaliers  ;  the  army  on  the 
other  side  was  made  up  of  Puritans.  Many  of  the  Puritans  had 
now  left  the  national  Church.  They  called  themselves  Separatists, 
or  Independents,  and  set  up  a  form  of  worship  of  their  own. 

The  war  went  against  the  King.  He  was  taken  captive  and 
beheaded.  The  Puritans  then  declared  England  a  republic  under 
Oliver  Cromwell,  and  Governor  Berkeley  of  Virginia,  who  was  a 
stiff  Royalist,  retired  from  office.  Most  of  the  leading  Cavaliers,  or 
Royalists,  were  men  of  rank,  and  before  the  war  had  been  men  of 
property.  They  found  the  new  order  of  things  in  England  very 
uncomfortable,  and  hundreds  of  them  emigrated  to  Virginia. 

Some  of  the  most  illustrious  names  in  Virginia  history  are 
those  of  Cavalier  emigrants  or  their  descendants.  Richard  Henry 
Lee  was  one,  and  Washington  was  probably  another.1  When  the 
American  Revolution  broke  out,  these  illustrious  men  gave  their 
strength,  heart  and  soul,  to  the  establishment  of  the  United  States 
of  America. 

54.  Governor  Berkeley  again  in  Power ;  the  Navigation  Laws ; 
the  King  gives  away  Virginia.  When  monarchy  was  restored  in 
England  (1660),  Sir  William  Berkeley  put  on  the  Governor's  silk 
robe  of  office  again.  For  sixteen  years  he,  with  an  Assembly  that 
was  in  sympathy  with  him,  ruled  the  colony  according  to  his  own 
imperious  will.  During  that  long  period  no  new  elections  were 
held,  and  consequently  the  mass  of  the  people  had  no  voice  in 
the  government. 

This  grievance  was  not  all.  During  Cromwell's  time  certain 
laws,  called  Navigation  Laws,  had  been  enacted  in  order  to  pre- 
vent the  Dutch  from  competing  with  England  in  trade  by  sea. 

1  On  the  genealogy  of  the  Washington  family  in  England,  see  W.  C.  Ford's  "The  Writ- 
ings of  Washington,"  XIV,  319.  There  is  a  strong  probability  that  George  Washington's 
ancestors  belonged  to  the  Cavalier  party  which  fought  for  the  King. 


'56         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1660-1676 

These  laws  were  not  intended  to  injure  the  American  colonists, 
but  they  forbade  the  colonists  to  send  any  tobacco  out  of  the  coun- 
try except  in  English  or  colonial  vessels  going  to  England,  or  to 
purchase  any  foreign  goods  except  those  brought  over  in  English 
or  colonial  vessels. 

Under  King  Charles  II  these  laws  were  made  much  more  strict 
(1660- 1 6 72).  However,  they  were  not  really  as  unfair  as  they 
seemed  (§  146).  But  the  Virginia  planters  complained  bitterly  of 
them,  and  they  soon  found  means  of  doing  pretty  much  as  they 
pleased  about  obeying  them. 

Some  years  later  (1673)  Charles,  who  was  a  wasteful  and  profli- 
gate monarch,  gave  away  the  whole  of  Virginia  —  a  territory  then 
having  a  population  of  40,000  —  for  thirty-one  years,  to  the  Earl  of 
Arlington  and  Lord  Culpepper,  two  of  his  favorites.  This  caused 
a  long  and  bitter  dispute  about  the  question  of  the  true  ownership 
of  the  land,  but  it  was  finally  settled  in  favor  of  the  colonists. 

Meanwhile,  English  emigrants,  both  Pilgrims  and  Puritans,  as 
we  shall  presently  see,  had  established  flourishing  colonies  in  New 
England ;  the  Dutch,  who  had  taken  possession  of  New  Nether- 
land  (or  New  York),  had  been  forced  to  give  up  that  region 
to  the  English,  and  English  Quakers  had  bought  New  Jersey.  In 
the  South,  English  Catholics  had  settled  in  Maryland,  and  colo- 
nies of  Englishmen  had  been  founded  in  the  Carolinas.  Thus 
(1675)  an  English-speaking  population  practically  held  control  of 
the  whole  Atlantic  coast  of  America  from  Maine  nearly  to  the 
borders  of  Florida. 

55.  Deplorable  State  of  the  Virginia  Colonists;  Indian  War; 
the  Bacon  Rebellion.  The  people  of  Virginia  were  now  in  a  de- 
plorable state.  They  had  no  homes  that  they  could  certainly  call 
their  own ;  they  had  no  Assembly  that  really  represented  them 
(§  51),  they  were  heavily  taxed,  and  sometimes  they  could  get  but 
little  for  the  tobacco  they  exported.  Still  their  lives  were  safe, 
and  while  life  was  left,  hope  was  left.  But  the  Indians  suddenly 
rose  (1676),  as  they  had  just  done  in  New  England,  and  began 
massacring  the  inhabitants.  It  was  not  the  first  attack,  but,  in 
some  respects,  the  most  terrible. 


1676] 


BACON'S  REBELLION 


57 


The  people  begged  Governor  Berkeley's  help,  but  he  did  noth- 
ing. Then  Nathaniel  Bacon,  a  wealthy  planter,  raised  a  force 
and  went  out  to  fight  the  Indians.  His  influence  finally  com- 
pelled Governor  Berkeley  to  allow  the  people  to  elect  a  new 
Assembly. 

They  did  so,  chose  Bacon  for  one  of  their  representatives, 
and  passed  a  number  of  reform  measures  known  as  the  "  Bacon 
Laws."  But  as  Bacon  dis- 
trusted the  Governor,  civil 
war  soon  broke  out,  and  the 
"Virginia  rebel,"  as  he  was 
called  by  those  in  authority, 
marched  on  Jamestown.  Seiz- 
ing a  number  of  the  wives 
of  the  Governor's  friends,  he 
placed  them  in  front  of  his 
troops.  This  "  White  Apron 
Brigade  "  saved  him  from  the 
fire  of  the  Governor's  guns. 
That  night  Jamestown  was 
abandoned.  In  the  morning 
Bacon  entered  it,  and  burned 
the  place  to  the  ground.  It 
was  never  rebuilt.  As  you  go 
up  the  James  River  to-day 
you  see  the  ruined  tower  of 
the  old  brick  church  stand- 
ing a  melancholy  memorial  of  the  first  English  town  settled 
in  America. 

Bacon  soon  after  died ;  but  one  of  his  chief  supporters,  named 
Drummond,  fell  into  the  Governor's  hands.  "  Mr.  Drummond," 
said  the  Governor,  "I  am  more  glad  to  see  you  than  any  man  in 
Virginia.  Mr.  Drummond,  you  shall  be  hanged  in  half  an  hour." 
He  was  executed  forthwith.  In  all,  Governor  Berkeley  put  to 
death  over  twenty  persons.  When  the  King  of  England  heard 
of  it,  he  exclaimed,  in  an  outburst  of  anger,  "That  old  fool  has 


Ruins  at  Jamestown 


58         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1676 

hung  more  men  in  that  naked  country  than  I  did  here  for  the 
murder  of  my  father."  1 

The  Virginia  colonists  never  wholly  forgot  the  meaning  of 
the  Bacon  rebellion,  and  its  protest  against  tyrannical  govern- 
ment. Just  a  century  after  the  people's  Assembly  passed  the 
famous  "  Bacon  Laws  "  (1676)  their  descendants  met  at  Williams- 
burg, nearly  in  sight  of  the  ruins  of  Jamestown,  and  there  (1776) 
declared  themselves  independent  of  Great  Britain. 

56.  Summary.  Jamestown,  the  first  town  built  by  the  first  per- 
manent English  colony  in  the  New  World,  was  founded  in  1607. 
There  the  first  American  legislative  assembly  met  in  1619,  Negro 
slaves  were  introduced  the  same  year.  The  cultivation  of  tobacco 
r^uijJL  up  commerce  and  largely  increased  the  population,  but  did 
not  favor  the  growth  of  towns.  The  colony  was  strongly  Royalist, 
and  received  many  Cavaliers  from  England.  Later,  the  Naviga- 
tion  Laws  injured  its  prosperity.  There  was  a  period  of  bad  gov- 
ernlrieht^  and  Bacon  attempted  reform.  His  undertaking  failed. 
But  the  people  remembered  the  man  and  his  work,  and  Virginia 
a  hundred  years  later  (i^ffi  was  the  first  colony  to  propose  the 
establishment  of  American  independence. 

II.    New  Netherland,  or  New  York  (16 14) 

57.  Henry  Hudson's  Expedition.  In  the  seventeenth  century 
(1609)  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  of  Holland  sent  Henry 
Hudson,  an  English  sea  captain,  across  the  Atlantic  to  explore. 
They  hoped  that  he  would  find  a  passage  by  water  through  or 
round  America  to  China  and  the  Indies  (§§  14,  16,  25,  44,  47). 

Hudson,  with  his  Dutch  crew,  entered  what  is  now  New  York 
Bay,  and  was  the  first  Englishman  who  sailed  up  that  noble  river 
which  to-day  bears  his  name.  He  reached  a  point  about  150  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  at  or  near  where  Albany  now  stands. 
It  was  the  month  of  September,  and  Hudson  had  good  reason  for 
saying,  "  It  is  as  beautiful  a  land  as  one  can  tread  upon." 

1  King  Charles  II  had  tried  and  executed  only  six  out  of  the  fifty-nine  judges  who  had 
sentenced  his  father  (Charles  I)  to  death  (§53). 


1613-1626]  NEW  NETHERLAND  59 

About  a  month  before,  Champlain  (§  48)  had  come  almost  as 
far  south  as  that,  on  an  exploring  expedition  from  Quebec.  He 
gave  his  own  name  to  the  lake,  known  ever  since  as  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  claimed  the  country  for  France. 

58.  The  Indians  give  Hudson  a  Reception  on  Manhattan  Island ; 
the  Strange  Drink.  The  Indians  thought  that  the  English  cap- 
tain, in  his  bright  red  coat  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  must  have 
come  down  from  the  skies  to  visit  them.  The  Captain  handed 
the  chief  a  glass  of  brandy.  Soon  every  red  man  present  had 
tried  the  new  and  strange  drink.  Hudson  meant  the  gift  in  no 
unkindly  spirit,  but  to  the  natives  it  was  simply  poison.  For 
them  alcohol  had  a  fatal  fascination.  Since  then  liquor  has  prob- 
ably destroyed  more  Indians  than  war  and  disease  combined.  The 
Indians  were  afraid  of  the  white  man's  gun ;  it  would  have  been 
far  better  for  them  if  they  had  been  still  more  afraid  of  the  white 
man's  drink. 

59.  The  Dutch  take  Possession  of  New  Netherland;  Jealousy 
of  England  and  France.  The  Dutch,  finding  from  Hudson's 
report  that  valuable  furs  could  be  bought  of  the  Indians  at  enor- 
mous profit,  soon  sent  over  ships  and  opened  trade  with  the 
natives  (161 3).  Then  (16 14)  the  Republic  of  the  United  Nether- 
lands, or  Holland,  took  possession  of  the  country  on  the  Hudson 
River,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  New  Netherland. 

Both  the  English  and  the  French  now  had  good  reason  for 
turning  jealous  eyes  on  New  Netherland,  for  that  province  was 
like  a  wedge.  It  separated  the  colony  of  Virginia  from  the  un- 
settled region  of  New  England,  and  the  point  of  it  at  the  north 
entered  that  territory  which  Champlain  claimed  as  part  of  New 
France  (§48).  A  number  of  years  later  (1623)  the  Dutch  made 
that  wedge  more  dangerous  still  by  building  Fort  Orange  on  the 
upper  Hudson  where  the  city  of  Albany  now  stands. 

60.  The  Dutch  buy  Manhattan  Island,  1626.  In  1626  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company  sent  out  a  colony  under  Governor 
Peter  Minuit  to  settle  in  New  Netherland.  He  landed  with  his 
emigrants  on  the  island  of  Manhattan,  where  a  Dutch  trading  post 
already  existed  (161 3).   The  Governor  bought  from  the  Indians  the 


6o 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1626- 


entire  island  of  14,000  acres  for  twenty-four  dollars'  worth  of 
scarlet  cloth,  brass  buttons,  and  other  trinkets,  or  at  the  rate  of 
about  one  sixth  of  a  cent  an  acre.1  The  city  of  New  York,  which 
now  occupies  that  land  (with  additional  territory),  is  valued  at  many 
thousand  millions,2  and  the  value  steadily  increases. 

The  new  settlement  consisted  of  a  fort,  a  stone  warehouse,  and 
a  cluster  of  log  huts.    This  was  the  beginning  of  the  greatest  and 

richest  city  of  Amer- 
ica. The  Dutch  called 
the  place  by  its  In- 
dian name  of  Man- 
hattan, but  later  gave 
it  the  name  of  New 
Amsterdam. 

61.  The  Patroons. 
In  order  to  get  emi- 
grants to  go  out  to 
New  Netherland,  the 
government  in  Hol- 
land made  very  gen- 
erous offers.  They  promised  to  give  a  large  amount  of  land  on  the 
Hudson  River  to  any  member  of  the  Dutch  West  India  Company 
who  would  take  or  send  out  fifty  settlers. 

The  proprietor  of  such  an  estate  received  the  honorary  title 
of  "  Patroon,"  or  protector.  If  he  located  on  one  bank  only  of 
the  river,  he  was  to  have  sixteen  miles  of  water  front ;  if  on 
both  banks,  he  was  to  have  eight  miles  on  each.  Inland  he 
might  extend  his  settlement  as  far  as  he  could  occupy  the  soil 
to  advantage.  In  all  cases  he  was  to  purchase  the  land  of  the 
Indians. 

"Amsterdam,  Nov.  5,  1626. 

1  "  High  and  Mighty  Lords  :  Yesterday,  arrived  here  the  ship  '  The  Arms  of  Amster- 
dam,' which  sailed  from  New  Netherland  ...  on  the  23d  of  Sept.  They  report  that  our 
people  are  in  good  heart  and  live  in  peace  there.  .  .  .  They  have  purchased  the  island  of 
Manhattan  from  the  Indians  for  the  value  of  60  guilders  [$24.00].  .  .  . 

"  Herewith,  High  and  Mighty  Lords,  be  commended  to  the  mercy  of  the  Almighty. 

"Your  High  Mightinesses'  obedient, 

"  P.  Schagen." 

2  The  assessed  value  of  the  real  estate  in  1909  was  nearly  $7,000,000,000. 


Governor  Minuit  buys  Manhattan  Island 


1626-] 


THE  PATROONS 


61 


The  Patroon  who  began  a  settlement  agreed  to  do  three  things : 
i .  To  pay  the  expenses  of  the  emigrant's  passage  from  Holland. 

2.  To  stock  a  farm  for  him  on  his  estate  with  horses,  cattle,  and 
all  necessary  agricultural  implements,  at  a  small 
rent,  and  free  from  taxes. 

3.  To  provide  a  schoolmaster  and  a  minister 
of  the  gospel. 

In  return,  the  emigrant  bound  himself  in  many 
ways,  of  which  the  three  following  were  the  prin- 
cipal ones. 

He  agreed  : 

1 .  To  cultivate  the  Patroon 's  land  for  ten  years, 
and  not  to  leave  it  without  permission. 

2.  To  give  the  Patroon  the  first  opportunity  to 
buy  any  grain  or  other  produce  he  might  have 
to  sell. 

3.  To  bring  all  disputes  about  property  and 
rights  to  the  Patroon 's  court,  of  which  the  Pa- 
troon himself  was  judge.1 

A  patroon  named  Van  Rensselaer2  took  an 
estate  of  700,000  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Albany. 
It  extended  along  both  banks  of  the  Hudson 
for  twenty-four  miles  and  reached  back  twice  that 
distance.  He  made  additions  to  this  enormous 
property,  so  that  eventually  it  embraced  the  three 
present  counties  of  Albany,  Rensselaer,  and  Co- 
lumbia. The  total  area  of  his  vast  domain  was 
greater  than  that  of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island. 

Such  a  proprietor  was  richer  than  many  a  Ger- 
man prince.    He  was  at  once  owner,  ruler,  and  judge.    He  not 
only  had  a  population   of  white  settlers  who  were  his  servants 

1  In  cases  involving  more  than  $20.00  value  the  settler  might  appeal  from  the  Patroon's 
court  to  the  Company.  Other  points  were  these  :  (1)  the  settler  agreed  to  bring  his  grain  to 
the  Patroon's  mill,  and  pay  for  the  grinding ;  (2)  he  could  not  fish  or  hunt  on  the  Patroon's 
estate ;  (3)  he  was  not  to  weave  any  cloth,  but  buy  that  imported  from  Holland ;  (4)  if  he 
died  without  leaving  a  will,  all  of  his  property  fell  to  the  Patroon. 

2  Besides  the  Van  Rensselaers,  other  noted  families  dating  from  that  period  are  the 
Schuylers,  Van  Cortlandts,  and  Roosevelts. 


Amsterdam 


Land  held  by 

KlLIAEN    VAN 

Rensselaer 


62         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1647 

and  laborers,  but  he  had  the  promise  from  the  Dutch  West  India 
Company  of  as  many  negro  slaves  as  they  could  "  conveniently 
provide  "  him.  There  was  no  one  to  contradict  the  Patroon's  will 
He  was  actually  "  monarch  of  all  he  surveyed." 

62.  Peter  Stuyvesant,  the  last  Dutch  Governor  of  New  Nether- 
land.  Peter  Stuyvesant  came  out  to  New  Amsterdam  (1647)  as 
fourth  and  last  governor  of  the  province.  Governor  Stuyvesant 
was  an  old  soldier  who  had  lost  a  leg  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try. He  was  hot-tempered  and  headstrong;  but  he  was  honest, 
fearless,  and  determined  to  keep  order  in  the  colony  at  any  cost. 
If  a  man  was  disorderly,  a  constable  took  pains  to  show  him  the 

shortest  road  to  the  public  whip- 
ping post ;  if  he  was  a  robber  or 
murderer,  he  was  marched  straight 
to  the  gallows. 

The  inhabitants  complained  of 
the  taxes,  and  wished  to  have  a 
word  to  say  about  how  the  money 
should  be  raised  and  spent.  The 
Governor  strenuously  objected,  but 
finally  agreed  that  a  council  of 
"Nine  Men"  should  be  elected  to 
Peter  Stuyvesant  assist  him  in  that  matter. 

Later,  when  the  people  de- 
manded the  right  of  electing  their  own  officers,  he  emphatically 
refused.  If,  said  he,  citizens  once  get  the  liberty  to  elect  whom 
they  please,  "  the  thief  will  vote  for  a  thief  and  the  smuggler  for 
a  smuggler." 

The  Governor  was  equally  decided  in  rejecting  liberty  of  wor- 
ship. He  fined  a  minister  $500  for  venturing  to  preach  doctrines 
different  from  those  of  the  Dutch  Protestant  Church ;  next  he 
fined  those  who  went  to  hear  him  $100  each.  This  made  free 
thought  expensive. 

When  some  Quakers  came  into  the  colony  and  began  to  pro- 
claim their  peculiar  doctrines  (§  85),  Stuyvesant  punished  them 
cruelly. 


1647-1664] 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT 


63 


The  authorities  in  Holland  rebuked  him,  and  ordered  that  every 
man  should  be  permitted  to  worship  God  in  his  own  house  in  his 
own  way ;  but  the  Governor  did  as  he  liked. 

Still,  in  many  ways  Peter  Stuyvesant  showed  himself  a  good 
ruler.  He  made  numerous  improvements  in  the  "  city  "  of  New 
Amsterdam,  and  in  order  to  better  defend  the  place,  he  built  a 
high  and  strong  fence  across  the  north  of  the  town.  That  fence, 
or  palisade,  marked  the  beginning  of  Wall  Street,  which  is  to-day 
the  great  money  center  of  America. 

The  population  of  the  town  was  made  up  of  Dutch,  French, 
and  English.  On  this  account  the  laws  had  to  be  published  in 
three  languages.  Even  then  New  Amsterdam  was  beginning  to 
represent  all  nationalities.  The  Dutch  pre- 
dicted that  the  time  would  come  when  its 
"  ships  would  ride  on  every  sea."  To- 
day the  miles  of  wharves  on  the  East 
and  North  rivers,  lined  with  great  ocean 
steamers  and  vessels  hailing  from  all  the 
ports  of  the  globe,  show  how  far  their 
judgment  was  correct. 

But  the  Dutch  did  not  keep  posses- 
sion of  New  Netherland.  The  English 
king,  Charles  II,  claimed  the  whole  coun- 
try on  the  ground  that  John  Cabot  had  discovered  the  coast 
(§  14)  and  planted  the  English  flag  on  it  in  1497.  For  this 
reason  Charles  now  gave  it  to  his  brother  James,  Duke  of  York. 
England  and  Holland  were  at  peace;  but  suddenly  (1664)  a 
British  fleet  sailed  up  to  New  Amsterdam  and  demanded  its 
surrender. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  was  furious.  He  swore  that  he  would 
never  surrender  "  as  long  as  he  had  a  leg  to  stand  on  or  an  arm 
to  fight  with";  but,  finding  that  the  citizens  refused  to  uphold 
him,  he  had  to  submit.  The  English  promised  full  protection  of 
life,  liberty,  and  property  to  the  inhabitants.  Furthermore,  they 
agreed  to  grant  religious  liberty,  freedom  of  trade,  and  to  allow 
the  people  to  have  a  voice  in  making  the  laws. 


New  Amsterdam 


64         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1617 


The  result  was  that  the  Dutch  flag  on  the  fort  was  hauled 
down,  and  the  English  hoisted  their  flag  in  its  place.  Then,  in 
honor  of  James,  Duke  of  York,  the  name  New  Netherland  was 
dropped,  and  the  country  was  called  the  province  of  New  York. 
In  like  manner  the  quiet  Dutch  "  city  "  of  New 
Amsterdam  became  "  his  majesty's  town  of 
New  York."  1 

Ex-Governor  Stuyvesant  went  back  to  Hol- 
land, but  soon  returned  to  spend  the  rest  of 
his  days  on  his  "  great  bowery,"  or  farm,  which 
was  on  the  east  side  of  the  island,  just  out- 
side the  city  limits.  The  street  now  called 
The  Bowery  recalls  the  "  Bowery 
Lane"  which  once  led  to  the  stern 
old  soldier's  home. 

63.  Summary.  While  en- 
deavoring to  find  a  way  either 
round  or  through  North  Amer- 
ica to  China  and  the  Indies, 
Henry  Hudson  (1609)  sailed  up 
the  river  named  for  him.  The 
Dutch  claimed  the  country  and 
called  it  New  Netherland ;  they 
founded  the  city  of  New  Amsterdam  on  Manhattan  Island.  Later 
(1664),  England  took  possession  of  the  country  and  named  it  New 
York,  in  honor  of  James,  Duke  of  York,  the  King's  brother. 


Hoisting  the  English  Flag  over 
New  York 


III.    New  Jersey  (161 7) 

64.  The  Dutch  claim  the  Country  between  the  Hudson  and  the 
Delaware;  New  Jersey.  The  Dutch  crossed  over  from  Manhat- 
tan Island  (§  60),  and  built  a  fort  at  Bergen,  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Hudson.    Later,  they  built  a  second  fort  nearly  opposite 


1  In  1673  New  York  was  captured  by  the  Dutch  during  war  between  Holland  and  Eng- 
land, but  was  given  up  to  the  English  again  when  peace  was  made,  less  than  a  year  later. 
From  that  time  until  the  Revolution  it  remained  subject  to  England. 


1674] 


NEW  JERSEY 


65 


where  Philadelphia  now  stands.  They  claimed  the  country  between 
these  forts  as  part  of  New  Netherland  (§  59). 

But  the  English  declared  that  the  country  belonged  to  them 
(§§  14,  62).  The  Duke  of  York,  when  he  came  into  posses- 
sion of  New  Netherland,  gave  the  whole  territory  between  the 
Delaware  River  and  the  Hudson  to  his  friends  Lord  Berkeley 
and  Sir  George  Carteret.  Sir  George  had  been  governor  of  the 
island  of  Jersey  in  the  English  Channel.  During  the  civil  war 
in  England  (§  5  3)  he  gallantly 
defended  that  island  in  be- 
half of  Charles  I,  the  Duke  of 
York's  father.  For  this  rea- 
son the  Duke  named  the  coun- 
try which  he  granted  to  him 
and  to  Lord  Berkeley,  New 
Jersey.  An  English  settle- 
ment was  made  (1664)  at 
a  place  which  the  emigrants 
called  Elizabethtown,  in  honor 
of  Lady  Elizabeth  Carteret, 
wife  of  Sir  George. 

The  proprietors  of  the  prov- 
ince granted  the  settlers  very 
liberal  terms,  and  the  peo- 
ple had  a  direct  part  in  the 
government. 

65.  The  Friends,  or  Quak- 
ers, buy  New  Jersey ;  Treaty 
with  the  Indians ;  Prosperity 

of  the  Country ;  New  Jersey  becomes  a  Royal  Colony.  Some  Eng- 
lish Friends,  or  Quakers,  bought  Lord  Berkeley's  share,  or  West 
Jersey  (1674),  and  later,  William  Penn  and  other  members  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  bought  the  other  half,  or  East  Jersey,  from 
the  heirs  of  Sir  George  Carteret. 

The   Friends  made  a   treaty  with  the   Indians  at  Burlington 
which  entirely  satisfied  the  savages.    After  that  if  they  found  an 


He  is  an  Englishman;  he  is  asleep 
let  him  Alone" 


66         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1620 

Englishman  sleeping  in  the  path,  they  would  not  molest  him,  but 
would  say,  "  He  is  an  Englishman ;  he  is  asleep ;  let  him  alone." 
In  the  same  spirit  of  good  will  the  Friends  granted  self-government 
to  the  colonists.  The  people  levied  their  own  taxes,  made  their  own 
laws,  and  all  settlers  enjoyed  religious  liberty. 

But  eventually  trouble  arose  about  titles  to  land,  and  the  pro- 
prietors thought  it  best  (1702)  to  put  the  two  colonies  directly  into 
the  hands  of  the  English  government.  They  were  united  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  governor  of  New  York;  but  later  (1738),  New 
Jersey  became  a  separate  province.  From  this  time  until  the  Revo- 
lution it  was  ruled  by  a  governor  of  its  own  appointed  by  the 
King  of  England.  The  last  of  the  royal  governors  was  William 
Franklin,  son  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 

66.  Summary.  The  Dutch  first  claimed  possession  of  what  is 
now  New  Jersey.  The  English  Duke  of  York  seized  the  country 
and  gave  it  to  two  of  his  friends,  naming  the  province  from  the 
British  island  of  Jersey. 

A  company  of  English  Quakers  then  bought  the  land,  grant- 
ing to  the  settlers  most  of  the  privileges  of  self-government. 
The  Quaker  proprietors  surrendered  their  rights  to  the  English 
sovereign  (1702),  and  New  Jersey  became  a  royal  colony  until 
the  Revolution. 


IV.    Massachusetts  (Plymouth  Colony,  1620) 

67.  Former  Lack  of  Religious  Liberty  in  England;  Catho- 
lics; Puritans;  Separatists.  When  the  English  began  to  make 
permanent  settlements  in  America  in  1607  (§46),  no  country 
in  Europe  had  that  freedom  of  worship  which  every  civilized 
nation  enjoys  to-day.  In  England  the  law  required  every  one 
to  attend  the  Church  of  England  upheld  by  the  government,  and 
compelled  all  persons  to  pay  taxes  to  support  that  church,  which 
maintained  the  Protestant  Episcopal  form  of  worship. 

Three  classes  of  good  and  loyal  citizens  objected  to  that  law : 
1.  The  Catholics,  who  protested  against  being  obliged  to  pay 
for  maintaining  preaching  which  they  did  not  believe  in. 


1620] 


PURITANS  AND  SEPARATISTS 


67 


2.  The  Puritans  (§  53),  who  thoroughly  believed  in  the  doctrines 
of  the  Church  of  England,  but  decidedly  objected  to  some  of  its 
ceremonies. 

3 .  The  Separatists,  who,  like  the  Puritans,  accepted  the  religious 
teachings  of  the  Church  of  England,  but  who  had  withdrawn  from 
it  because  they  did  not  like  its  form  of  worship,  and  had  set  up 
independent  congregations  of  their  own. 

68.  Emigration  of  those  who  sought  Religious  Liberty ;  the 
Separatists  go  to  Holland.    Not  being  able  to  obtain  the  freedom 


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Homes  of  the  Pilgrims  in  England  and  Holland 


they  desired  in  England,  many  emigrants,  representing  the  Cath- 
olics, the  Puritans,  and  the  Separatists,  came  to  America.  Here 
they  hoped  that  they  might  be  able  to  worship  God  without  moles- 
tation, according  to  the  dictates  of  their  consciences. 

The  first  who  thus  emigrated  were  the  Separatists.  A  con- 
gregation of  these  people  held  religious  services  in  the  little 
English  village  of   Scrooby.    (See  map.)    They  found  that  they 


68         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1620 

could  have  no  peace,  but  were  "  hunted,"  "persecuted,"  and 
"clapped  up  in  prison."  For  this  reason  they  fled  to  Holland 
(1607),  where,  they  had  heard,  there  "was  freedom  of  religion 
for  all  men." 

69.  The  Separatists,  or  Pilgrims,  resolve  to  go  to  America; 
their  Reasons.  At  length  a  part  of  the  Separatists,  or  Pilgrims,1 
as  they  now  with  good  reasons  called  themselves,  —  for  they  had 
no  fixed  home,  —  resolved  to  emigrate  to  America. 

Three  chief  reasons  induced  the  Pilgrims  to  leave  Holland  : 

1.  Though  they  were  with  a  friendly  people,  yet  they  were 
among  those  whose  language  and  customs  were  not  English. 

2.  As  their  children  grew  up,  they  would  naturally  marry  into 
the  Dutch  families,  so  that  in  a  few  generations  their  descendants 
would  become  Dutch. 

3 .  Finally,  they  desired  to  build  up  a  community  on  soil  belong- 
ing to  England,  where  they  and  those  who  came  after  them  might 
enjoy  both  political  and  religious  liberty,  according  to  the  Pilgrim 
standard  of  what  was  just  and  right. 

70.  Where  they  proposed  going;  how  they  got  Assistance  to 
go.  The  only  English  settlement  then  in  America  was  that  at 
Jamestown,  Virginia  (§  46).  The  Pilgrims  could  not  go  to  that 
part  of  the  country,  for  no  worship  but  that  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land was  permitted  there.  They  finally  obtained  from  the  London 
Company  (§§43,  45)  the  right  to  settle  at  some  place  near  the 
Hudson  River. 

A  company  of  English  merchants  and  speculators  agreed  to 
help  them  on  these  hard  conditions  : 

1 .  The  Pilgrims  were  to  work  for  seven  years  without  a  single 
day  to  themselves  except  Sunday. 

2.  At  the  end  of  that  time  all  the  property  they  had  accumu- 
lated was  to  be  divided  equally  between  them  and  the  company 
of  merchants. 

1  "  So  they  left  that  goodly  and  pleasant  city  [Leyden,  Holland  (Map,  p.  67)]  which  had 
been  their  resting  place  near  twelve  years  ;  but  they  knew  they  were  PILGRIMS  [see  He- 
brews xi.  13]  and  looked  not  much  on  those  things ;  but  lifted  up  their  eyes  to  the  heavens, 
their  dearest  country,  and  quieted  their  spirits."  —  Bradford's  History  of  Plymouth, 
1607-1646.    Bradford's  MS.  is  preserved  in  the  State  Library  in  the  Statehouse,  Boston. 


1620]  THE  PILGRIMS  GO  TO  AMERICA  69 

71.  The  Pilgrims  sail;  Myles  Standish.  The  Pilgrims  went 
over  from  Holland  to  England,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1620  the 
Mayflower  sailed  from  Plymouth,  carrying  the  second  English 
colony  that  was  to  make  a  permanent  home  in  the  New  World 
(§46).  There  were  only  102  of  the  emigrants,  and  of  these  less 
than  ninety  could  be  called  Pilgrims.  The  others  were  persons 
who  had  joined  them,  or  were  servants  or  sailors. 

Among  those  who  were  not  members  of  the  Pilgrim  congrega- 
tion, but  who  chose  to  go  with  them,  was  Captain  Myles  Standish. 
He  was  a  man  with  the  heart  of  a  lion  in  battle,  and  the  hand  of 
a  woman  for  the  sick  and  wounded.  Without  his  counsel  and  his 
sword  it  is  doubtful  if  the  colony  could  have  succeeded. 

72.  The  Pilgrims  reach  Cape  Cod;  the  Compact.  On  a  morn- 
ing late  in  November  (1620)  the  storm-tossed  Pilgrims  sighted 
Cape  Cod.  They  tried  to  go  south  of  it,  in  order  to  reach  the 
vicinity  of  the  Hudson  River  (§  70),  but  the  weather  was  against 
them.  Two  days  later  (November  21),  the  Mayflower  came  to 
anchor  in  what  is  now  Provincetown  harbor,  at  the  extreme  end 
of  the  Cape. 

The  Pilgrims  had  no  authority  to  settle  in  New  England,  but 
they  decided  to  do  so.  Some  of  their  hired  men  now  declared 
that  they  were  free  and  would  do  what  they  pleased.  Hearing  that 
threat,  the  Pilgrims  gathered  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower  and 
drew  up  and  signed  a  compact  or  agreement.  In  that  compact 
they  declared  themselves  "  loyal  subjects  "  of  the  King.  At  the 
same  time  they  declared  that  they  were  resolved  to  make  what- 
ever laws  might  be  needful  for  the  "  general  good  of  the  colony." 
They  then  elected  John  Carver  for  their  first  governor.  Thus  the 
new  commonwealth  began ;  they  were  but  a  few  score  people,  but 
they  had  the  strength  that  belongs  to  those  who  fear  God  and 
respect  themselves. 

73.  They  explore  the  Coast,  and  land;  Plymouth  Rock;  the 
First  Winter.  While  the  Mayflower  remained  at  anchor  Captain 
Standish  with  a  boat  load  of  men  went  out  to  explore.  On  Decem- 
ber 21  they  reached  the  harbor  which  Captain  John  Smith  had 
called  Plymouth  on  a  map  which  he  made  when  in  Virginia  (§  48). 


70         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1620-1621 


On  the  shore  of  that  harbor  lies  a  part  of  a  granite  bowlder.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  only  one  directly  on  the  water's  edge  for  several 
miles.  According  to  tradition  they  landed  on  that  bowlder.  It 
is  only  a  few  feet  square,  but  Plymouth  Rock  fills  a  greater  place 
in  the  history  of  our  country  than  any  other  single  stone  on  the 
American  continent. 

A  few  days  later,  the  Mayflower  sailed  into  that  harbor ;  the 
men  all  went  ashore  and  began  the  work  of  building  a  log  hut 

for  general  use.  Later,  they 
erected  another  cabin,  but  it 
had  to  be  used  for  a  hospital 
instead  of  a  settler's  home. 
The  hardships  of  that  winter 
were  so  great  that  by  spring 
nearly  half  of  the  colony  were 
in  their  graves.  But  when  the 
Mayflower  went  back,  in  April 
(1621),  not  one  of  the  Pilgrims 
returned  in  her.  They  had  come 
to  stay. 

74.  Governor  Bradford;  Town  Meeting;  a  Treaty  made  with 
the  Indians.  Soon  after  the  Mayflower  sailed,  Governor  Carver 
(§  72)  died  and  was  succeeded  by  William  Bradford  (162 1). 

The  Pilgrims  decided  all  important  questions  in  town  meet- 
ing. There  they  made  the  laws.  It  was  pure  government  by  the 
people. 

But  the  Pilgrims  did  more  than  simply  make  laws,  for  they  en- 
forced them.  The  man  who  resisted  was  speedily  tied  neck  and 
heels  together  on  the  ground  and  left  there  for  a  reasonable  time 
to  meditate  on  the  error  of  his  ways. 

Not  long  before  his  death  Governor  Carver  had  made  a  treaty 
with  Massasoit,  chief  of  a  neighboring  tribe  of  Indians  in  the  south- 
west.   The  treaty  was  faithfully  kept  for  more  than  fifty  years. 

Later,  Canonicus,  chief  of  a  tribe  of  hostile  Indians,  threatened 
to  attack  Plymouth.  He  sent  Governor  Bradford  a  declaration  of 
war  in  the  shape  of  a  bundle  of  arrows  tied  round  with  a  rattlesnake 


Plymouth  Rock 


1626-1630]       WHAT  MADE  THE  PILGRIMS  GREAT 


71 


skin.  The  Governor  took  the  snake  skin,  stuffed  it  full  of  powder 
and  bullets,  and  sent  it  back.  Canonicus  looked  at  it,  felt  of  it,  and 
then  said,  "  We  had  better  let  the  Governor  alone."  When  trouble 
with  the  Indians  did  arise  later,  Myles  Standish  (§71)  soon  made 
them  confess  that  though  "  he  was  a 
little  man,  he  was  a  great  captain." 

75.  The  Pilgrims  buy  out  the  Eng- 
lish Company;  what  made  the  Pil- 
grims Great.  After  some  years  had 
passed,  the  Pilgrims  bought  out  the 
English  merchants'  shares  in  Plym- 
outh colony  (1626).  In  order  to  do  it, 
they  had  to  borrow  the  money  in  Lon- 
don at  from  thirty  to  fifty  per  cent 
interest,  but  they  were  determined  to 
be  free  of  the  Company  at  any  cost. 
Henceforth  every  man  had  a  right 
to  whatever  he  could  gain  for  himself 
by  fishing,  fur  trading,  or  farming. 

The  colony  increased  slowly.  At 
the  end  of  ten  years  there  were  only 
300  people  in  Plymouth.  Massachu- 
setts colony,  founded  ten  years  later 
(1630),  overshadowed  and  finally  ab- 
sorbed it. 

It  was  not  what  the  Pilgrim  Fa- 
thers actually  accomplished  which 
made  them  great :  it  was  the  spirit 
in  which  they  worked.    There  is  one 

thing  in  this  world  that  is  better  than  success  —  that  is,  to  deserve 
success.  They  had  gained  that ;  as  their  brethren  wrote  them 
from  England :  "  Let  it  not  be  grievous  to  you  that  you  have 
been  instrumental  to  break  the  ice  for  others.  The  honor  shall 
be  yours  to  the  world's  end." 


Monument  to  Captain  Myles 
Standish  on  "  Captain's 
Hill,"  Duxbury,  Plym- 
outh Bay 


T2         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1630 

IV.    Massachusetts  (Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  1630) 

76.  Settlement  of  Salem;   Governor  Endicott;  Toleration.    A 

number  of  years  after  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth,  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  Company 1  in  England  sent  out  John  Endicott  to 
take  charge  of  a  small  colony  at  Salem  (1628). 

Governor  Endicott  was  a  strict  Puritan  (§§  53,  67).  He  lived 
in  an  age  when  the  toleration  of  religious  liberty  was  unknown  in 
Great  Britain.  If  he  had  found  "toleration"  in  his  dictionary,  he 
would  have  cut  the  word  out,  just  as  he  drew  his  sword  and  cut 
the  red  cross  out  of  the  English  flag  because  it  represented  the 
ancient  Catholic  faith  of  England. 

77.  The  Great  Puritan  Emigration;  Winthrop's  Colony;  Set- 
tlement of  Boston,  1630.  But  the  great  emigration  to  New  Eng- 
land began  in  1630.  The  royal  charter  gave  the  Massachusetts 
Bay  Company  the  territory  extending  along  the  coast  from  the 
Charles  River  to  the  Merrimac.  Westward  it  extended,  like  Vir- 
ginia (§  43),  to  the  Pacific. 

The  Company  appointed  John  Winthrop,2  a  wealthy  Puritan, 
governor.  He  came,  bringing  the  charter  with  him,  and  a  colony 
of  over  700  persons  with  horses  and  cattle. 

The  colonists  named  the  place  where  they  finally  settled,  Boston, 
because  of  their  affectionate  remembrance  of  the  ancient  city  of 
Boston,  England.    (Map,  p.  67.) 

In  the  course  of  the  next  ten  years  more  than  20,000  of  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop 's  countrymen  came  to  New  England.  Among  them 
were  highborn  men  and  women,  with  graduates  of  Oxford  and 
Cambridge,  besides  people  of  property  and  influence,  —  "  the  very 
flower  of  the  English  Puritans." 

1  The  Plymouth  Company  of  England  which  had  never  succeeded  in  planting  a  perma- 
nent colony  (§§  43,  45)  was  reorganized  in  1620  under  the  name  of  the  Council  for  New  Eng- 
land. In  1627-1628  this  Council  issued  a  grant  to  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company  which 
was  confirmed  by  a  royal  charter. 

2  Governor  Winthrop  of  Groton,  Suffolk  County,  in  the  east  of  England.  He  came  for  the 
same  reason  that  Endicott  did,  because  the  Puritans,  as  he  said,  had  "  no  place  to  fly  unto 
but  the  wilderness."  He  also  felt  that  Great  Britain  needed  an  outlet  for  her  unemployed 
thousands.  "This  land"  [England],  said  he,  "grows  weary  of  her  inhabitants,  so  as  man, 
who  is  the  most  precious  of  all  creatures,  is  here  more  vile  and  base  than  the  earth  we  tread 
upon,  and  of  less  price  among  us  than  a  horse  or  sheep."  —  Winthrop's  Life  and  Letters. 


1634]  HOW  MASSACHUSETTS  WAS  GOVERNED  73 

78.  How  Massachusetts  was  governed;  Town  Meetings;  who 
could  vote;  Occupations  of  the  People.  At  first  all  the  public 
affairs  of  the  colony  were  managed  by  a  council.  Later  (1634), 
the  towns  sent  representatives  to  the  Legislature  to  make  the 
laws. 

In  all  cases  the  towns  managed  their  own  local  business,  such 
as  the  making  of  roads  and  the  care  of  schools,  in  town  meeting 
as  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  did  (§  74). 

Thomas  Jefferson  of  Virginia  lamented  that  his  colony  did  not 
do  the  same.  He  said  the  New  England  town  meetings  had 
proved  themselves  the  "wisest  invention  ever  devised  by  the  wit 
of  man  for  the  perfect  exercise  of  self-government." 

We  have  seen  that  in  Virginia  (§§51,  53)  the  right  to  vote 
on  colonial  matters  was  finally  restricted  to  men  of  property ;  in 
Massachusetts  it  was  confined  to  members  of  the  Puritan  church. 
The  Virginians  wished  to  keep  the  government  of  their  colony  in 
the  hands  of  the  royalist  landholders  or  responsible  citizens  ;  the 
Puritan  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  wished  to  keep  theirs 
under  the  control  of  Puritans.  This  corner  of  the  continent,  said 
they,  is  ours.  If  others  come  to  it  who  want  a  different  religion 
and  different  kind  of  government,  we  give  them  full  liberty  —  to 
move  on. 

Governor  Winthrop,  like  Governor  Berkeley  of  Virginia  (§  53), 
wanted  a  state  governed  not  by  the  majority,  but  by  a  select  few. 
"  The  best  part  of  a  community,"  said  he,  "  is  always  the  least,  and 
of  that  part  the  wiser  are  still  less." 

In  Massachusetts  much  of  the  soil  was  poor ;  the  farms  were 
small,  and  there  were  no  great  plantations  like  those  of  Virginia. 
A  large  number  of  the  people  were  engaged  in  the  cod  fisheries 
on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  and  many  were  employed  in  the 
construction  of  vessels.  Boston  had  some  of  the  best  shipbuilders 
in  the  world.  It  had  also  a  thriving  commerce  with  the  West 
Indies.  The  colonists  sent  out  cargoes  of  staves  and  lumber,  and 
imported  quantities  of  sugar  and  molasses  from  which  they  distilled 
the  famous  "  New  England  rum,"  an  article  which  people  then 
believed  to  be  one  of  the  necessaries  of  life. 


74 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1635 


79.  Banishment    of    Roger   Williams    and    Mrs.    Hutchinson. 

The  fact  that  the  Puritans  considered  Massachusetts  exclusively 
their  own  led  to  the  banishment  of  Roger  Williams.  He  had 
come  from  England  as  a  minister,  and  was  settled  over  the 
church  in  Salem.  He  was  one  of  the  very  few  men  of  that  day 
who  thoroughly  believed  in  religious  freedom,  or,  as  he  called 
it,  "  soul  liberty."  "  No  one,"  said  he,  "  should  be  bound  to 
maintain  a  worship  against  his  own  consent."    To  say  that,  was 

to  strike  directly  at  the  law 
of  Massachusetts,  which  re- 
quired every  man  to  attend 
public  worship  and  to  pay  for 
its  support. 

Mr.  Williams  did  another 
thing  which  made  serious 
trouble.  He  vehemently  de- 
nied that  the  King  had  the 
right  to  grant  the  land  to 
the  Puritan  colonists  without 
the  consent  of  the  Indians 
who  owned  it. 

The  colonists  feared  that 
what  the  young  Salem  min- 
ister said  might  provoke  the 
English  sovereign  to  take 
away  their  charter  and  compel 
them  to  leave  Massachusetts. 
For  this  reason  the  Governor  resolved  to  arrest  him  as  a  dan- 
gerous person  and  send  him  back  to  England.  Mr.  Williams 
fled  (1635)  in  bitter  winter  storms  through  the  woods  to  the 
shores  of  Narragansett  Bay.  There  he  took  refuge  in  Massasoit's 
friendly  wigwam  (§  74).  The  next  spring  he  founded  the  beautiful 
city  of  Providence. 

The  same  year  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson  of  Boston  attacked 
many  of  the  Massachusetts  clergy  about  their  religious  belief, 
which  seemed  to  her  more  a  matter  of  form  than  of  faith.    She 


The  Flight  of  Roger  Williams 


1635-1701]  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  75 

lectured  or  preached  every  week,  and  her  influence  finally  became 
so  great  that  a  company  of  soldiers  that  had  been  raised  to  fight 
the  Indians  refused  to  march  because  their  chaplain  did  not  agree 
with  Mrs.  Hutchinson ! 

The  Legislature  decided  that  Mrs.  Hutchinson  was  as  bad  as 
Roger  Williams,  "  or  worse,"  and  compelled  her  to  leave  the 
colony.  Later,  the  Baptists  were  forbidden  to  preach  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  were  severely  punished  when  they  refused  to  obey 
the  command.  These  were  harsh  measures,  but  the  colonists 
believed  that  it  was  their  duty  to  maintain  their  Puritan  faith  at 
any  cost,  and  they  did  it. 

80.  Public  Schools;  Harvard  University,  1636;  First  Printing 
Press  (1639);  Eliot's  Work  among  the  Indians.  The  people  of 
the  colony  were  anxious  to  have  their  children  educated,  and 
they  established  the  Boston  Free  Latin  School  (1635).  It  is  the 
oldest  public  school  now  existing  in  any  state  originally  settled 
by  the  English.  The  Dutch,  however,  had  established  (1633)  a 
church  school  in  New  Amsterdam,  which  still  flourishes.  In 
1647  the  colonists  passed  a  law  which  practically  provided  in- 
struction for  every  white  child  in  Massachusetts.  England  had 
never  done  anything  like  that.  That  great  work  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  the  common-school  system  of  the  United  States. 

Meanwhile,  the  Legislature  voted  in  1636  to  give  .£400  —  or 
what  was  equal  to  an  entire  year's  tax  of  the  colony  —  to  found 
a  college  at  Cambridge,  near  Boston.  It  is  said  that  "  this  was 
the  first  legislative  assembly  in  which  the  people,  through  their 
representatives,  ever  gave  their  own  money  to  found  a  place  of 
education." 

Two  years  later  the  Rev.  John  Harvard  of  Charlestown  left  his 
library  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  volumes,  and  half  of  his  estate, 
—  or  about  ^750,  —  to  the  college.  The  Legislature  out  of  grat- 
itude ordered  the  new  institution  —  the  first  English  college  in 
America  —  to  be  called  by  his  name :  such  was  the  origin  of 
Harvard  University,  1636.  Virginia  established  William  and  Mary 
College,  the  second  in  America  (1693),  and  Connecticut  established 
Yale  University,  which  was  the  third  (1701). 


76         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1643-1750 

The  interest  felt  in  Harvard  was  so  universal  that  at  one  time 
(1645)  every  family  throughout  New  England  gave  either  a  peck 
of  corn  or  twelvepence  in  money  towards  its  support.  The  people 
were  poor,  but  they  were  determined,  as  they  said,  "that  learning 
should  not  be  buried  in  the  graves  of  their  fathers." 

While  the  people  were  doing  so  much  for  education,  the  Rev. 
John  Eliot  of  Roxbury,  near  Boston,  was  laboring  to  convert  the 
Indians.  He  translated  the  Bible  into  the  Indian  language  and 
printed  it,  at  Cambridge  (1660),  on  the  first  press  set  up  in 
the  American  colonies,  1639.  When  we  come  to  King  Philip's 
War  (§  86)  we  shall  see  how  the  colonies  reaped  the  fruit  of  the 
labors  of  the  "Apostle  to  the  Indians." 

81.  The_New  England  Confederation.  In  164^  Massachusetts 
Bay  united  with  Plymouth  and  with  the  two  western  colonies  of 
Connecticut  and  New  Haven  in  a  Confederation  or  league  for  mutual 
defense  (164 3- 1684).    The  chief  objects  of  this  league  were  :J 

1.  To  protect  the  colonists  against  hostile  Indians  and  against 
the  Dutch  of  New  Netherland  (§  59),  who  were  trying  to  get 
possession  of  the  territory  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Con- 
necticut rivers. 

2.  To  express  the  sympathy  of  the  colonists  with  the  Puritan 
party  in  England,  which  was  then  engaged  in  a  war  against  the 
tyrannical  King  Charles  I  2  (§  53). 

After  the  Confederation  had  ceased  to  exist  the  remembrance 
of  it  helped  the  colonists  to  unite  against  the  French  of  Canada, 
who  threatened  (1750)  to  drive  them  out  of  the  land.  Still  later, 
when  trouble  with  England  came,  the  fact  that  there  had  once 
been  such  an  organization  as  the  so-called  "  United  Colonies  of 
New  England  "  prepared  the  way  for  that  great  and  permanent 
confederation  of  all  the  colonies,  north  and  south,  known  first  as 
the  "  United  Colonies  of  America,"  and  finally  as  the  "  United 
States  of  America." 

1  One  object  of  the  Confederation  was  to  secure  the  return  of  runaway  slaves  to  their 
masters. 

2  The  words  w  you  shall  bear  true  faith  and  allegiance  to  our  sovereign  Lord  King 
Charles  "  were  now  dropped  from  the  oath  required  by  Massachusetts  of  its  governors  and 
chief  officeholders. 


1656-] 


THE  QUAKERS 


77 


82.  The  Coming  of  the  Friends,  or  Quakers.  Many  years 
after  the  Puritans  had  settled  Massachusetts  the  people  kept 
a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  on  account  of  news  received  from 
England  respecting  a  strange  people  called  Quakers.  It  was 
said  that  they  were  turning  the  world  upside  down  with  their 
preaching,  and  that  if  they  were  not  stopped,  they  would  destroy 
all  churches  and  all  modes  of  government.  A  fortnight  after 
that  fast  day  (1656)  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  heard  to  their 
horror  that  two  women,  who 
were  Quaker  missionaries, 
had  actually  landed  in  their 
town. 

The  authorities  at  once 
thrust  them  into  jail,  and  as 
soon  as  possible  sent  them 
out  of  the  colony.  But  others 
came,  and  soon  all  Massa- 
chusetts was  in  a  fever  of 
excitement. 

83.  What  the  Quakers 
believed ;  what  they  refused 
to  do.  To-day  there  are  no 
quieter,  more  orderly,  or 
more  self-respecting  people 
than  the  Friends,  or  Quak- 
ers. Boston  would  welcome 
a  colony  of  them  now,  and 
feel  that  the  city  was  the 
gainer  by  their  coming.  Why  did  the  arrival  of  a  few  of  them 
then  excite  such  alarm  ?  The  reason  was  that  the  Quakers 
of  that  time  stood  in  decided  opposition  to  the  ideas  of  the 
great  majority  of  sober  and  discreet  citizens.-  When  men  asked, 
"  Where  shall  we  find  what  is  right  ?  "  the  Church  of  England 
answered,  "  You  will  find  it  in  the  teachings  of  the  Church." 
The  Puritans  replied,  "  You  will  find  it  in  the  Bible."  The 
Quakers  said,   "You  will  find  it  in  your  own  heart."    To  most 


Seizure  of  the  Quaker  Women 


78         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1656- 

persons  of  that  age  such  an  answer  seemed  like  rejecting  both 
Church  and  Bible. 

Next,  the  Quakers  differed  from  other  people  in  many  of  their 
customs.  They  would  not  use  titles  of  honor  or  respect  to  any 
one,  and  they  would  not  take  off  their  hats  to  a  magistrate  or  to 
the  Governor  —  no,  not  even  to  the  King  himself.  Furthermore, 
the  Quakers  observed  no  ceremonies  in  their  worship. 

Finally,  acting  in  accordance  with  what  they  believed  to  be  the 
teachings  of  the  gospel,  they  refused  to  do  three  things  which 
every  citizen  then  was  bound  by  law  to  do. 

i.  They  would  not  give  testimony  under  oath  in  a  court  of 
justice,  or  swear  to  support  the  government. 

2.  They  would  not  pay  taxes  to  support  any  form  of  public 
worship. 

3.  They  would  not  do  military  service  or  bear  arms  even  in 
self-defense.1 

84.  Excesses  committed  by  some  Quakers.  But  this  was  not 
all,  for  the  harsh  treatment  the  Quakers  had  received  in  Eng- 
land and  in  Boston  had  driven  some  of  them  well-nigh  crazy. 
In  several  cases  they  forced  their  way  into  Puritan  meetings  on 
Sunday  and  cried  out  that  the  ministers  were  hypocrites  and  de- 
ceivers of  the  people. 

These  things  occurred  only  in  Massachusetts.  The  Quakers  in 
New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  (§§65,  119)  never  interfered  with 
any  form  of  worship,  and  peace  and  good  order  prevailed.  In 
fact,  no  colony  in  America  prospered  more  than  that  founded 
by  the  Quaker,  William  Penn. 

85.  The  Puritans  punish  and  execute  the  Quakers;  End  of  the 
Persecution.  The  Puritans  were  stern  men  and  they  took  stern 
measures.  They  arrested  the  disturbers  of  their  peace,  whipped 
some  through  the  towns,  cut  off  the  ears  of  others,  and  drove 
them  out  into  the  wilderness. 

All  this  severity  was  useless ;  the  Quakers  felt  that  they  had 
a  mission  to  the  Puritans,  and  they  persisted  in  returning  and 

1  The  Friends,  or  Quakers,  believe  that  they  should  obey  conscience,  and,  dispensing 
with  forms,  follow  literally  what  they  understand  to  be  the  commands  of  Christ. 


1656-1675] 


KING  PHILIP'S  WAR 


79 


preaching  it  in  the  loudest  manner.  They  were  nonresistants, 
—  they  would  not  strike  back  when  persecuted ;  but  they  would 
use  their  tongues,  and  their  tongues  were  like  two-edged  swords. 
After  repeated  warnings,  the  Massachusetts  authorities  hanged 
four  of  these  missionaries,  one  a  woman,  on  Boston  Common, 
and  buried  their  bodies  at  the  foot  of  the  gallows. 

Finally,  the  King  ordered  the  Governor  of  the  colony  to  cease 
punishing  the  Quakers,  and  the  excitement  gradually  died  out. 

86.  King  Philip's  War.  In  1675  Philip,  son  of  Massasoit 
(§74),  and  chief  of  an  Indian  tribe  of  Rhode  Island,  began  a  ter- 
rible war  against  the  colonists.  While  Massasoit  lived,  the  treaty 
he  had  made  with  the  English 
had  been  faithfully  kept ;  but 
"  King  Philip  "  believed  that 
if  the  Indians  did  not  kill  off 
the  white  men,  then  the  white 
men  would  kill  off  the  Indians. 
For  this  reason  the  savages 
made  a  sudden  attack  on  the 
towns  of  southern  and  western 
Massachusetts.  They  did  not 
dare  attack  Boston,  but  they 
burned  more  than  half  the 
towns   in  the  colony. 

After  about  two  years  of  des- 
perate fighting,  Philip's  wife,  and  his  only  son,  a  lad  of  nine, 
were  both  captured.  "  Now,"  said  the  terrible  warrior,  "  my  heart 
breaks.  I  am  ready  to  die."  Shortly  after  this  Philip  was  killed 
at  his  home  at  Mount  Hope,  not  far  from  Bristol,  Rhode  Island. 
His  hands  were  cut  off  and  carried  to  Boston,  and  his  head  was 
carried  to  Plymouth,  where  it  stood  exposed  on  a  pole  for  twenty 
years.  Many  of  the  Indian  prisoners  were  sold  as  slaves  in  the 
West  Indies.  Among  them  were  King  Philip's  wife  and  boy. 
During  the  war  Eliot's  "  praying  Indians  "  (§  80)  saved  the  lives 
of  many  colonists.  With  the  death  of  Philip  the  Indians  realized 
that  their  power  was  broken  in  southern  New  England. 


King  Philip's  War 


80         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1684-1692 

87.  The  Salem  Witchcraft.  Some  years  later  (1692)  the  Salem 
witchcraft  caused  a  reign  of  terror  in  that  town.  In  Great  Britain 
several  thousand  unfortunate  persons  had  suffered  death  for  this 
alleged  crime,  and  the  English  statute  punishing  it  was  not  re- 
pealed until  1736,  or  "  more  than  forty  years  after  the  excitement 
in  New  England  had  subsided."  The  whole  matter  seems  to  have 
originated  with  a  few  mischief-loving  children  who  accused  cer- 
tain persons  of  tormenting  them.  Those  so  charged  were  tried 
for  witchcraft,  that  is,  for  being  in  league  with  evil  spirits,  and  in 
all  nineteen  persons  were  hanged.  Then  the  good  sense  of  the 
Massachusetts  people  asserted  itself,  and  the  witchcraft  delusion 
came  to  an  end. 

88.  Massachusetts  loses  her  Charter;  Governor  Andros.  But 
before  this  strange  outbreak  at  Salem  occurred,  Massachusetts 
lost  her  charter  (§77)  and  was  no  longer  self-governing.  For 
many  years  King  Charles  II  had  watched  the  Puritan  colony 
with  no  friendly  eye.  It  was  far  too  independent  to  suit  his  arbi- 
trary ideas.  The  people  of  Boston  were  accused  of  breaking  the 
Navigation  Laws  (§  54)  by  both  importing  and  exporting  goods  in 
Dutch  ships ;  they  had  also  coined  money  without  royal  authority, 
and  had  given  a  warm  welcome  to  two  of  the  judges  who  had 
sentenced  Charles  I  (§53)  to  the  scaffold  and  then  fled  to  Mas- 
sachusetts. Furthermore,  they  were  notoriously  opposed  to  the 
Church  of  England  and  were  believed  to  be  strongly  republican 
in  their  tendencies. 

For  these  reasons  the  King  took  away  their  charter  (1684). 
Massachusetts  then  became  a  royal  province,  and  from  that  time 
until  the  Revolution  it  was  governed  by  the  King  and  those  whom 
the  King  sent  to  represent  him. 

The  first  royal  governor  imposed  on  the  colony  (1686)  was  Sir 
Edmund  Andros,  who  had  been  governor  of  New  York.  Three 
years  of  his  tyranny  produced  a  revolt.  The  people  took  advantage 
of  a  revolution  in  England  which  forced  King  James  II  to  flee 
the  country  ;  they  seized  Andros  and  imprisoned  him.  They  then 
recovered  their  former  power  of  managing  their  own  affairs  in 
their  own  way,  but  only  for  a  short  time. 


1623] 


SUMMARY 


81 


William  III  of  England  sent  over  a  new  charter  (1691),  which 
converted  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Maine,  and  Nova  Scotia  into 
one  province.  Henceforth  all  forms  of  religion  but  the  Catho- 
lic were  permitted,  and  the  right  to  vote  was  no  longer  con- 
fined to  church  members  (§78).  But  the  people  had  no  power 
to  make  any  laws  except  such 
as  the  King  approved,  and  the 
King  continued  to  appoint  the 
governor. 

89.  Summary.  The  Separa- 
tists, or  Pilgrims,  settled  Plym- 
outh in  1620,  and  the  Puritans 
settled  Boston  in  1630.  The  ob- 
ject sought  by  both  was  free- 
dom of  worship  for  themselves. 
To  all  of  their  own  faith  they 
gave  a  hearty  welcome,  but  they 
regarded  others  as  intruders,  and 
the  Puritans  did  not  hesitate  to 
drive  them  out.    The  colonists 

of  Massachusetts  were  the  first  settlers  in  America  who  assem- 
bled in  town  meeting  and  established  government  by  the  people, 
and  public  schools  for  all  children.  The  Pilgrims,  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  did  not  restrict  the  right  to  take  part  in  the  gov- 
ernment to  church  members,  but  the  Puritans  did.  The  object 
of  both  was  to  build  up  a  strong,  free,  religious,  and  intelligent 
commonwealth  ;  in  this  they  were  in  great  measure  successful,  but 
eventually  (1684)  their  charter  was  taken  from  them  and  they 
lost  the  power  of  making  their  own  laws,  and  had  to  accept 
governors  appointed  by  the  King. 


Arrest  of  Governor  Andros 


V.    New  Hampshire  (1623) 

90.  Grant  of  Territory  to  Gorges  and  Mason;  Settlement  of 
Dover  and  Portsmouth.  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  obtained,  with 
Captain  John  Mason,  a  grant  of  the  territory  between  the  Merrimac 


82         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1627-1719 

River   and   the    Kennebec.    This  region  was    called    Maine,   or 
the  Mainland. 

The  first  settlement  known  to  be  permanent  was  made  at 
Dover,  on  the  Piscataqua  River,  by  English  colonists  (1627). 
Four  years  later  (163 1)  Portsmouth  was  settled.  The  chief  objects 
of  these  colonies  were  to  carry  on  the  fur  trade  with  the  In- 
dians and  to  establish  fisheries.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
two  settlements  belonged,  in  name  at  least,  to  the  Church  of 
England. 

91.  Division  of  the  Territory;  New  Hampshire;  Vermont; 
Maine;  Exeter.  After  a  few  years  the  proprietors,  Mason  and 
Gorges,  decided  to  divide  the  territory.  Gorges  took  the  part 
east  of  the  Piscataqua,  —  a  region  now  included  in  the  state  of 
Maine ;  Mason  took  that  west  of  the  same  river.  He  gave  it  the 
name  of  New  Hampshire  in  remembrance  of  the  English  county 
of  Hampshire  which  had  once  been  his  home.  The  region  west 
of  the  Connecticut  River,  later  called  Vermont,  was  claimed  by 
both  New  Hampshire  and  New  York. 

Sir  George  Popham  had  attempted  to  found  a  colony  on  the 
coast  of  Maine  in  1607,  but  the  undertaking  failed.  A  permanent 
settlement  appears  to  have  been  made  (1625)  at  Pemaquid  Point, 
about  midway  between  the  Penobscot  and  the  Kennebec.  Portland 
was  founded  some  years  later  (1632).  Massachusetts  held  control 
of  Maine  from  1652  to  1820,  when  it  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 
The  Rev.  John  Wheelwright  was  banished  from  Massachusetts 
(1638)  for  his  openly  expressed  sympathy  with  the  religious  teach- 
ings of  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson  (§  79).  With  several  of  his  con- 
gregation who  had  followed  him  into  exile  he  settled  the  town  of 
Exeter,  New  Hampshire. 

92.  Settlement  of  Londonderry;  Union  with  Massachusetts. 
Many  years  later  (1719)  several  hundred  thrifty  Scotch-Irish  emi- 
grants—  or  Scotch  Protestants  coming  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
—  settled  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire.  They  introduced  the 
manufacture  of  linen  ;  and  soon  in  every  log  cabin  the  hum  of  the 
housewife's  little  flax  wheel  made  cheerful  and  profitable  music 
for  the  family. 


1641-1679] 


SUMMARY 


83 


One  of  the  descendants  of  an  industrious  Scotch  settler  of  this 
class,  but  who  came  at  an  earlier  period,  was  the  eminent  orator, 
patriot,  and  statesman,  Daniel  Webster.1 

New  Hampshire  dreaded  Indian  hostilities,  and  having  but  a 
small  and  scattered  population,  petitioned  (1641)  for  union  with 
Massachusetts.    The  petition 

was    granted.    Furthermore,  > 

the  citizens  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  accordance  with 
their  request,  were  permitted 
to  vote  and  hold  office  with- 
out first  having  to  prove  that 
they  were  church  members, 
as  people  were  obliged  to 
do  in  Massachusetts  (§78). 
Finally  (1679),  New  Hamp- 
shire became  a  royal  prov- 
ince and  remained  so  until 
the  Revolution. 

93.  Summary.  New  Hamp- 
shire originally  formed  part 
of  the  region  called  Maine, 
or   the    Mainland.     English 

colonists  settled  Dover  and  Portsmouth.  Emigrants  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  Scotch-Irish  later  founded  the  towns  of  Exeter  and 
Londonderry.  The  Scotch-Irish  set  up  the  manufacture  of  linen. 
Eventually  New  Hampshire  was  united  with  Massachusetts,  and 
many  years  later  it  became  a  province  governed  by  the  King. 

1  Mr.  Webster  was  born  in  1782,  in  Salisbury,  New  Hampshire,  about  fifty  miles  north- 
west of  Portsmouth.  He  once  said,  in  a  public  speech :  "  It  did  not  happen  to  me  to  be 
born  in  a  log  cabin  ;  but  my  elder  brothers  and  sisters  were  born  in  a  log  cabin,  reared  amid 
the  snowdrifts  of  New  Hampshire  at  a  period  so  early  that  when  the  smoke  first  rose  from 
its  rude  chimney  and  curled  over  the  frozen  hills,  there  was  no  similar  evidence  of  a  white 
man's  habitation  between  it  and  th^.  settlements  on  the  rivers  of  Canada." 


The  Music  of  the  Flax  Wheel 


84         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1634-1636 


VI.    Connecticut  (1634) 

94.  Emigration  to  the  Valley  of  the  Connecticut;  Hookers 
Colony.  The  rich  lands  of  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Connecti- 
cut River  early  attracted  the  Dutch  of  New  Amsterdam  (§81) 
and  the  settlers  of   Plymouth.    Both  made  an  attempt  to  get  a 

foothold  on  the  coveted 
territory.  But  emigration 
did  not  begin  in  earnest 
until  later  (1635).  Then 
a  number  of  settlements 
were  made,  which  finally 
united  under  one  govern- 
ment. We  shall  now  take 
up  the  history  of  these 
separate  colonies. 

1 .  Emigrants  from  the 
vicinity  of  Boston  (1635) 
founded  the  towns  of 
Wethersfield  and  Windsor. 

2.  In  the  autumn  of 
that  year  an  English 
company  sent  out  John 
Winthrop,  son  of  Gover- 
nor Winthrop  of  Boston 
§77),  with  the  title  of 
"  Governor  of  the  River 
of  Connecticut."  He  built 
a  fort  at  Saybrook,  at  the 

mouth  of  the  river,  and  thus  effectually  shut  out  the  Dutch  from 
that  quarter. 

3.  The  next  June  (1636)  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker  of  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  started  with  a  company  of  one  hundred 
men,  women,  and  children  for  what  was  then  called  "  the  West." 
They  traveled  on  foot,  driving  a  hundred  and  sixty  head  of  cattle, 
besides  hogs,  through  the  wilderness.    There  were  neither  roads 


Hooker's  Emigration  to  Connecticut 


1637-1639]  THE  PEQUOT  WAR  85 

nor  bridges,  and  the  emigrants  had  to  find  their  way  by  the  com- 
pass, crossing  rivers  on  rafts,  sleeping  under  the  stars,  and  living 
mainly  on  the  milk  of  their  cows. 

After  a  journey  of  two  weeks  through  a  country  which  express 
trains  now  cross  in  three  hours,  they  reached  Hartford,  where  a 
small  settlement  of  English  had  already  been  made. 

95.  The  Pequot  War.  The  next  spring  (1637)  the  new  settlers 
declared  war  against  the  Pequot  Indians,  who  threatened  to  destroy 
the  white  settlers.  The  three  towns  of  Hartford,  Wethersfield, 
and  Windsor  contributed  ninety  men  led  by  Captain  John  Mason. 
The  Pequots  had  a  fortified  village  near  the  present  town  of 
Mystic.  The  little  army  of  white  men,  accompanied  by  Indians 
of  tribes  hostile  to  the  Pequots,  and  with  some  help  from  Massa- 
chusetts, attacked  the  enemy  in  their  stronghold.  They  set  fire 
to  their  wigwams  and  literally  burned  them  out.  The  blow  was  a 
terrible  one  to  the  Pequots.  From  that  time  they  were  hunted 
down  like  wild  beasts,  until  in  a  few  months  the  tribe  was  prac- 
tically destroyed. 

96.  The  Connecticut  Constitution,  1639.  In  1639  the  in- 
habitants of  the  three  towns  of  Hartford,  Wethersfield,  and 
Windsor  met  at  Hartford  and  drew  up  the  first  written  Ameri- 
can constitution,1  or  form  of  government  made  "  by  the  people 
for  the  people."  In  the  words  of  that  document,  its  object 
was  "  to  maintain  the  peace  and  union  "  of  the  settlers  of  the 
colony. 

One  remarkable  fact  about  that  compact  is  that  it  made  no 
mention  either  of  the  King  of  England  or  of  the  English  Com- 
pany which  held  a  royal  grant  of  the  Connecticut  lands.  It  was 
in  reality  the  constitution  of  a  republic,  and  the  men  who  framed 
it  refused  to  bow  to  any  authority  outside  or  above  themselves, 
except  that  of  their  Maker. 

1  Constitution :  For  the  same  reason  that  a  game  of  ball  cannot  be  played  successfully 
without  some  rules  to  govern  it,  so,  whenever  a  number  of  people  join  to  form  a  community 
or  a  state,  they  must  have  some  form  of  agreement  or  principle  of  union.  Such  an  agree- 
ment is  a  constitution  of  government.  Its  object  is  to  secure  individual  liberty  on  the  one 
hand,  and  order  on  the  other.  The  advantage  of  having  such  an  agreement  in  writing  is 
that  it  can  be  readily  consulted  ;  and  misunderstandings  and  disputes  about  its  meaning  and 
application  are  less  likely  to  occur  than  if  it  was  not  so  preserved 

•v 


86         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1639-1644 

One  reason  why  many  of  the  Connecticut  emigrants  had  left 
Massachusetts  was  that  they  did  not  believe  in  the  principle  of 
limiting  the  right  of  voting  to  church  members  (§  78).  The  Hart- 
ford constitution  imposed  no  such  restriction ;  every  citizen  was 
politically  equal  with  every  other,  and  there  was  nothing  to  hinder 
his  taking  part  in  making  the  laws.  To-day  not  only  the  United 
States  but  every  state  in  the  Union  has  a  written  constitution  — 
a  safeguard  of  liberty  —  similar  in  that  respect  to  the  one  drafted 
at  Hartford  in  1639.  That,  then,  may  be  called  the  parent  of  all 
that  have  followed. 

97.  The  New  Haven  Colony ;  Scripture  Laws.  There  were  now 
two  colonies  in  the  territory :  first,  that  at  Saybrook  (§  94),  and 
next  that  at  Hartford  and  the  other  towns  settled  by  bands  of  emi- 
grants who  had  come  into  the  Connecticut  valley.  Now  a  third 
colony,  that  of  New  Haven,  was  founded  (1638).  It  was  made  up 
chiefly  of  people  who  had  arrived  at  Boston  from  London  the  year 
before.  One  of  its  leading  men  was  the  Rev.  John  Davenport,  a 
Puritan  minister.  The  spring  after  they  formed  the  settlement 
(1639)  all  the  colonists  met  in  a  large  barn  to  listen  to  a  sermon 
from  Mr.  Davenport  and  draw  up  rules  for  the  government  of  the 
new  community.  What  those  rules  were  we  can  guess  from  the 
old  verse  which  tells  us  how 

"  They  in  Newman's  barn  laid  down 
Scripture  foundations  for  the  town." 

Those  "  Scripture  foundations,"  a  few  years  later,  made  the 
severe  Jewish  laws  of  the  Old  Testament1  those  of  New  Haven. 
None  could  vote  or  hold  any  public  office  but  members  of  the 
church.  It  was  practically  the  same  kind  of  government  as  that 
of  Massachusetts  (§  78). 

98.  The  Fugitive  Regicides ;  Andros  and  the  Connecticut  Charter. 
These  stern  New  Haven  colonists  believed  heartily  in  justice,  and 

1  In  1644  "  the  judicial  laws  of  God,  as  they  were  delivered  by  Moses,"  were  declared  to 
be  binding.  Like  the  laws  of  Massachusetts,  they  inflicted  the  penalty  of  death  for  no  less 
than  fourteen  offenses.  They  were,  however,  far  more  merciful  than  the  laws  of  England, 
which  at  a  very  much  later  period  made  upwards  of  two  hundred  crimes  punishable  with 
death  —  sheep  stealing  being  one. 


1661-1687]  THE  FUGITIVE  REGICIDES  87 

hated  royal  oppression.  Whalley  and  Goffe,  two  of  the  judges 
then  known  as  "  regicides/'  because,  during  the  English  civil  war 
(1649),  they  had  voted  to  put  the  tyrannical  Charles  I  to  death 
(§  53),  fled  to  New  Haven  (166 1). 

King  Charles  II  sent  orders  to  arrest  them.  Davenport  con- 
cealed the  judges,  and  preached  to  his  congregation  from  a  pas- 
sage of  the  Bible  (Isaiah  xvi.  3-4)  containing  the  words,  "  Hide 
the  outcasts ;  betray  not  him  that  wandereth." 

The  sermon  had  the  effect  intended,  and  the  disappointed  officers 
went  back  without  capturing  the  regicides.1 

Charles  II,  who  was  not  unfriendly  to  the  colony,  had  granted 
to  the  Connecticut  people  a  charter  confirming  their  right  of  self- 
government.  By  that  charter  the  territory  was  extended  westward 
to  the  Pacific,  as  in  the  case  of  Virginia  (§  43)  and  Massachusetts 
(§  77),  though  no  one  then  had  any  idea  of  the  actual  width  of 
the  continent.  Saybrook  had  already  been  united  with  Connecticut, 
and  New  Haven  was  now  joined  to  it. 

When  James  II  came  to  the  throne  he  determined  to  take  away 
the  charters  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  as  his  brother, 
Charles  II,  had  done  in  the  case  of  Massachusetts  (§88).  His 
object  was  to  bring  them  directly  under  his  despotic  control.  Sir 
Edmund  Andros  (§  88)  was  made  governor  of  New  England,  and 
went  with  a  body  of  troops  to  Hartford  to  demand  the  Connecticut 
charter  (1687). 

The  Connecticut  people  looked  upon  that  document  as  the  title 
deed  of  their  liberties,  and  resolved  never  to  give  it  up,  even  if 
the  King  himself  demanded  it. 

Andros  met  the  Legislature,  and  discussed  the  matter  until 
evening.  At  his  order,  the  box  holding  the  precious  charter  was 
brought  in  and  placed  on  the  table.  Then,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, the  candles  were  suddenly  blown  out,  and  when  they  were 
relighted  the  charter  had  disappeared.    It  is  said  to  have  been 

1  According  to  tradition,  Goffe  saved  the  town  of  Hadley,  Massachusetts  (where  he  was 
living  concealed  in  1675),  in  an  Indian  attack  during  King  Philip's  War  (§  86).  The  savages 
were  on  the  point  of  gaining  the  day,  when  a  venerable  man  with  a  long  white  beard  suddenly 
appeared,  rallied  the  inhabitants,  and  drove  off  the  assailants.  He  then  disappeared.  Some 
thought  they  owed  their  victory  to  an  angel. 


88         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1687 

hidden  in  a  hollow  oak  not  far  off,  which  was  ever  after  known 
as  the  Charter  Oak.1 

Andros,  however,  declared  that  the  colony  should  no  longer  be 
governed  under  the  charter,  and,  to  show  that  the  end  had  come, 
he  ordered  the  clerk  to  write  "  Finis  "  at  the  close  of  the  record 
of  the  meeting.  When  the  people  of  Boston  (§  88)  compelled 
Andros  to  give  up  the  power  he  had  abused,  the  charter  was 


Governor  Andros  demands  the  Charter  of  Connecticut 

brought  from  its  hiding  place,  and  Connecticut  maintained  her 
government  under  it  not  only  until  the  Revolution  but  for  many 
years  afterward  (1818). 

99.  Summary.  Connecticut  was  settled  chiefly  by  emigrants 
from  eastern  Massachusetts  and  from  England.  It  was  the  first 
colony  in  America  to  frame  a  written  constitution  of  government 
—  one  which  gave  the  right  to  vote  to  every  citizen.  The  King 
granted  the  colonists  a  charter  confirming  their  power  of  gov- 
erning themselves.  Governor  Andros,  by  the  order  of  James  II, 
tried  to  get  possession  of  the  charter,  but  failed.  Except  for  a 
very  short  period,  Connecticut  practically  continued  to  maintain 
her  own  laws. 

1  See  Palfrey's  "History  of  New  England,"  III,  542-545.  The  famous  Charter  Oak 
stood  in  what  is  now  Charter  Oak  Place,  Hartford.  It  was  blown  down  in  1856.  The  spot 
is  marked  by  a  marble  tablet. 


1634]  THE  CATHOLIC  PILGRIMS  '       89 

VII.    Maryland  (1634) 

100.  The  Catholic  Pilgrims;  Lord  Baltimore;  Maryland.    We 

have  seen  how  a  band  of  Protestant  Pilgrims  (§  69)  settled  Plym- 
outh in  1620;  fourteen  years  later  (1634)  a  company  of  Catholic 
Pilgrims  came  to  America  for  a  like  reason  —  that  they  might  build 
up  a  state  where  they  could  worship  God  without  molestation.1 

George  Calvert,  Lord  Baltimore,  a  Catholic  nobleman  of  ex- 
cellent ability  and  high  standing,  resolved  to  provide  a  refuge  in 
the  New  World  for  the  persecuted  people  of 
his  faith.  From  his  friend  King  Charles  I 
he  obtained  the  promise  of  a  grant  of  land  in 
northern  Virginia.  Lord  Baltimore  died  be- 
fore the  charter  was  completed,  but  his  son, 
Cecil  Calvert,  the  second  Lord  Baltimore,  re- 
ceived the  grant.  It  made  him  practically  all 
but  king  over  a  territory  north  of  the  Poto- 
mac, to  which  Charles  I  gave  the  name  of 
Maryland,  in  honor  of  his  wife,  Mary,  who 
was  a  Catholic. 

101.  The  Settlement  of  St.  Marys ;  the  Wig-    The  First  English 

™_        -l      t-1       n  1  1    j    u      r*  Catholic  Church 

warn  Church.    The  first  colony,  led  by  Gov-  m  America 

ernor  Leonard  Calvert,  —  a  younger  brother 

of  the  second  Lord  Baltimore,  —  landed  on  the  northern  bank 

of  the  Potomac,  near  its  mouth,  and  founded  the  town  of   St. 

Marys  (1634).    About  twenty  of  the  colonists  were  gentlemen  of 

wealth  and  standing,  —  most  of  them  probably  Catholics  ;  the  rest 

of  the  emigrants  were  laborers,  and  seem  to  have  been  chiefly 

Protestants. 

Father  White,  a  priest  who  accompanied  the  expedition,  got  per- 
mission from  an  Indian  chief  to  convert  his  wigwam  into  a  chapel. 
That  humble  hut,  made  of  strips  of  bark,  was  the  first  English 
Catholic  church  in  America.    Virginia  would  not  have  permitted 

1  The  English  law  imposed  the  ruinous  fine  of  twenty  pounds  a  month  —  a  sum  equal 
to  not  less  than  $700  to  $800  now  —  on  every  Catholic  who  refused  to  attend  the  services  of 
the  Church  of  England.  This  law  was  not  always  strictly  enforced,  but  large  sums  were 
frequently  extorted  by  the  government  from  the  Catholics  by  way  of  compromise. 


90         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1634-1649 

that  church  to  stand  ;  New  England  would  not.  It  was  only  in  the 
wilderness  of  Maryland,  in  that  mixed  population  of  Catholics  and 
Protestants,  that  it  was  safe. 

102.  Political  and  Religious  Freedom  of  the  Colony;  the  Toler- 
ation Act,  1649.  From  the  beginning  all  the  colonists  took  part  in 
making  the  laws  by  which  they  were  governed,  and  in  a  few  years 
Lord  Baltimore  granted  them  the  power  of  originating  those  laws. 
In  religion  absolute  freedom  of  worship  was  given  to  all  Chris- 
tians,1 but  to  Christians  only.  No  other  colony  in  this  country  then 
(1634)  enjoyed  such  liberty,  and  it  was  unknown  in  England.  In 
1 649  the  famous  Toleration  Act 2  confirmed  their  liberty. 

The  result  was  that  Maryland  became  a  refuge  not  only  for  the 
oppressed  Catholics  of  England,  but  also  for  many  of  the  oppressed 
Protestants  of  the  other  colonies  of  America.  Puritans  driven  out 
of  Virginia  by  the  Church  of  England  (§  44),  Quakers  exiled  from 
Massachusetts  by  the  Puritans  (§85),  both  came  to  Maryland  and 
found  homes  there. 

103.  The  Clayborne  and  Ingle  Rebellion ;  Lord  Baltimore's  Gov- 
ernment overthrown;  Persecution  of  the  Catholics.  The  colony, 
however,  was  not  to  enjoy  the  peace  for  which  it  hoped.  William 
Clayborne,  a  Virginian  and  a  Puritan,  had  established  a  fur-trading 
post  on  Kent  Island  in  Chesapeake  Bay  within  the  limits  claimed 
by  Lord  Baltimore.  He  endeavored  to  hold  the  island  by  force, 
but  was  driven  out.  When  the  civil  war  (§  5  3)  broke  out  in  Eng- 
land, the  colonists  of  Maryland,  like  the  people  of  Great  Britain, 
took  sides  for  or  against  the  King. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  division,  Clayborne  stirred  up  a 
rebellion  (1645)  and  kept  the  whole  country  in  a  turmoil  for 
two  or  three  years.    Captain   Ingle,  who  asserted  that  he  acted 

1  It  is  true  that  Lord  Baltimore,  holding  his  charter,  as  he  did,  from  the  Protestant 
sovereign  of  a  Protestant  nation,  could  not  have  safely  denied  liberty  of  worship  to  Protes- 
tants ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  he  evidently  had  no  desire  in  his  heart  to  deny  such  liberty. 
The  fact  that  he  invited  Puritans  into  the  colony  and  protected  them  from  persecution 
shows  the  man's  true  spirit. 

2  The  Maryland  Toleration  Act  of  1649  declared  that  no  person  professing  belief  in  Jesus 
Christ  shall  be  H  in  any  ways  troubled,  molested,  or  discountenanced  for  or  in  respect  of  his 
or  her  religion,  nor  in  the  free  exercise  thereof."  This  law  did  not  protect  Jews  or  any  others 
who  denied  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  \ 


1645-1689]  LOSS  OF  THE  CHARTER  91 

under  the  authority  of  the  Puritan  Parliament  of  England,  but  who 
was  practically  a  pirate,  got  possession  of  St.  Marys.  He  plundered 
it,  and,  seizing  "the  venerable  Father  White,"  sent  him  to  Eng- 
land in  irons  on  a  groundless  charge  of  treason  against  the  Parlia- 
ment of  that  country. 

But  worse  was  to  come.  After  the  King  was  dethroned  and  exe- 
cuted, and  a  republic  set  up  in  England,  the  authorities  there  sent 
commissioners  to  compel  the  people  of  Maryland  to  swear  fidelity 
to  the  new  government.  At  the  same  time  Lord  Baltimore  in- 
sisted that  as  Maryland  was  his  property  the  settlers  should  swear 
fidelity  to  him.  The  Puritans  in  the  colony  objected  to  taking  this 
last  oath,  on  the  ground  that  Lord  Baltimore  was  a  Catholic. 

The  commissioners  went  to  Maryland,  forced  Governor  Stone, 
who  had  succeeded  Governor  Calvert,  to  resign,  and  put  one 
of  their  own  choice  in  his  place.  They  then  caused  a  General 
Assembly  to  be  summoned  at  St.  Marys,  but  ordered  that  no 
Catholic  should  be  elected  to  it,  or  should  cast  a  vote  for  any 
representative.  The  new  Legislature  repealed  the  Toleration  Act 
of  1649,  which  granted  religious  freedom  to  all  Christians  (§  102). 
In  its  place  they  enacted  a  law  prohibiting  Catholic  worship 
throughout  Maryland. 

Furthermore,  the  Assembly  declared  that  Lord  Baltimore  no 
longer  had  any  rights  whatever  in  the  colony  which  he  himself 
had  founded,  and  to  which  he  had  invited  many  of  the  very  people 
who  now  turned  against  him.  That  action  must  have  reminded 
him  of  the  story  of  the  camel  that  begged  shelter  in  his  master's 
tent,  and,  when  he  had  got  it,  kicked  the  owner  out. 

104.  Lord  Baltimore  restored  to  his  Rights ;  Loss  of  the  Charter. 
But  about  four  years  later  (1658)  Parliament  restored  Lord  Balti- 
more to  his  rights.  Freedom  of  worship  was  again  established, 
and  for  the  next  thirty  years  the  colony  prospered. 

Meanwhile,  England  had  again  become  a  monarchy  (§§  53,  54), 
and  William  and  Mary,  who  were  pledged  to  support  the  Protestant 
cause,  came  to  the  throne  (1689). 

In  Maryland  there  was  an  unavoidable  delay  on  the  part  of 
the  Governor  in  proclaiming  the  new  sovereigns.    The  enemies 


92         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1715-1767 


of  Lord  Baltimore  circulated  the  report  that  this  delay  was  part  of 
a  plot,  and  that  the  Catholics  of  Maryland  —  who  were  now  not 
nearly  so  numerous  as  the  Protestants  —  had  conspired  with  the 
Indians  to  massacre  all  the  people  of  the  colony  not  of  their  faith. 
The  story  was  wickedly  false,  but  many  of  the  Protestants  be- 
lieved it.  They  rose  in  revolt,  and  in  consequence  the  new  King 
thought  it  wise  to  take  the  government  of  the  colony  into  his  own 
hands.  "The  best  men  and  the  best  Protestants"  of  the  colony 
stood  up  for  Lord  Baltimore,  but  without  avail. 

105.  Establishment  of  the  Church  of  England;  Restoration  of 
Maryland  to   Lord  Baltimore;    Mason  and  Dixon's  Line.    The 
Church    of    England   was    now    established    as 
the  government  church  in  Maryland,  and  every 
taxpayer,  no  matter  what  his  religion,  had  to 
pay  forty  pounds  of  tobacco  yearly  towards  its 
support.     The    Catholic    wor- 
ship  was    not   again    allowed 
to   be   openly   observed   until 
Maryland  became  independent 
(1776). 

On  the  death  of  the  third 
Lord  Baltimore  (171 5),  his 
son,  who  had  become  a  Protes- 
tant, was  made  proprietor  and 
governor  of  Maryland.  He  and 
his  descendants  held  it  until 
the  Revolution  (1776).  Mean- 
while (1729),  the  city  of  Bal- 
timore was  founded,  and  named  in  honor  of  the  originator  of  the 
colony. 

William  Penn  had  already  founded  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania 
(1682),  and  from  that  time  for  many  years  there  were  bitter  dis- 
putes about  the  boundary  between  that  colony  and  Maryland.  At 
length  Mason  and  Dixon,  two  eminent  English  surveyors,  were 
employed  (1 763-1 767)  to  establish  a  boundary  that  would  be 
satisfactory  to  both  colonies. 


Mason  and  Dixon  laying  out  the 
Boundary  Line 


1636]  SUMMARY  93 

They  ran  the  main  border  line  due  west  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles ;  later  it  was  carried  thirty  miles  farther.  When  prac- 
ticable, they  set  up  a  stone  at  every  fifth  mile,  with  the  coat-of- 
arms  of  William  Penn  cut  on  the  north  side,  and  that  of  Lord 
Baltimore  on  the  south.  That  boundary  —  the  Mason  and  Dixon's 
Line  of  history  —  became  famous,  for  it  was  looked  upon  as  mark- 
ing the  division  between  the  free  and  the  slave  states  formed  from 
the  original  thirteen  which  entered  the  Union. 

1 06.  Summary.  The  colony  of  Maryland  was  planted  by  Lord 
Baltimore,  an  English  Catholic.  He,  first  in  America,  established 
freedom  of  worship  for  all  Christians.  The  peace  of  the  colony 
was  interrupted  by  civil  war,  and  enemies  of  Lord  Baltimore,  join- 
ing with  Puritan  settlers  who  had  come  in,  overthrew  the  govern- 
ment and  forbade  the  exercise  of  the  Catholic  religion. 

Lord  Baltimore  succeeded  after  a  time  in  regaining  his  power 
and  again  granted  freedom  of  worship  ;  but,  finally,  the  King  took 
possession  of  the  colony  and  compelled  the  people  to  maintain 
the  Church  of  England  until  the  Revolution,  though  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  colony  was  eventually  restored  to  the  Baltimore 
family,  who  had  become  Protestants. 

VIII.    Rhode  Island  (1636) 

107.  Roger  Williams  seeks  Refuge  among  the  Indians ;  settles 
Providence.  When  (1635)  Roger  Williams  fled  from  Massachusetts 
(§  79)  into  the  wilderness,  his  situation  was  one  of  extreme  peril. 
It  was  midwinter  and  the  snow  was  deep.  Williams  was  in  feeble 
health  and  a  wanderer  in  a  trackless  forest.  Fortunately  he  had 
made  the  Indians  his  friends  and  could  speak  their  language.  The 
exile  made  his  way  to  the  hospitable  wigwam  of  the  chief  Massasoit 
(§74),  at  the  head  of  Narragansett  Bay.  There  he  found  a  home 
till  spring. 

Then  with  five  friends,  who  had  joined  him  from  Massachu- 
setts, he  went  to  the  Seekonk  River1  and  built  a  cabin  on  its 
eastern  bank.    Finding  that  the  place  he  had  chosen  was  under 

1  Seekonk  River,  on  the  east  side  of  the  city  of  Providence. 


94         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1636-1639 

the  control  of  Plymouth  colony,  he  and  his  companions  crossed 
the  river  in  a  canoe.  They  were  hailed  by  some  Indians  who 
were  standing  on  a  ledge  of  rock  on  the  western  bank.1  "  What 
cheer  ?  "  cried  the  friendly  red  men  to  the  wanderers. 

This  welcome  from  the  natives  led  Williams  and  his  friends 
to  land  for  a  short  time.  Then  they  paddled  down  the  river 
and  again  landed  at  the  foot  of  some  rising  ground,  where  they 
found  a  spring  of  excellent  water.  There  (1636)  they  determined 
to  stay  and  build   homes  for  themselves.    Out   of   gratitude   to 


"  What  Cheer  Rock  " 

"  God's  merciful  Providence  to  him  in  his  distress  "  Roger  Wil- 
liams gave  to  the  place  the  appropriate  name  of  Providence. 
There  he,  with  others,  founded  (1639)  tne  nrst  Baptist  church  in 
America.  To-day  Providence  ranks  as  the  second  city  of  New 
England  in  population  and  wealth.  So  we  see  that  in  Roger 
Williams's  case  banishment  instead  of  destroying  his  influence 
made  it  far  greater. 

108.  Williams  establishes  a  Colony;  Liberty  of  Conscience; 
Growth  of  the  Principle.  More  settlers  came  and  the  town  of 
Providence  took  firm  root.    From  the  beginning  entire  freedom 

1  "  What  Cheer  Rock,"  on  the  east  side  of  Providence,  foot  of  Power  Street. 


1644]  SETTLEMENT  OF  RHODE  ISLAND  95 

of  conscience  was  given  to  every  one.  Maryland  (§  102)  had 
granted  such  liberty  to  all  Christians,  but  the  colony  of  Provi- 
dence granted  it  not  only  to  Protestants  and  to  Catholics,  but 
to  Jews.  More  than  that  even,  it  protected  unbelievers,  and  de- 
clared that  men  of  all  religions  and  men  of  no  religion  should  live 
unmolested  so  long  as  they  behaved  themselves. 

Furthermore,  Roger  Williams  denied  that  the  government  had 
the  right  to  tax  the  people,  against  their  will,  to  support  any 
church.  He  first  put  in  practice  the  American  principle  —  that 
government  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  maintaining  any 
particular  form  of  religious  worship. 

That  idea  was  so  new  and  strange  that  the  other  colonies 
thought  it  false  and  dangerous,  and  predicted  that  it  would  soon 
die  out.  Instead  of  that  it  steadily  grew  and  spread,  until  in 
time  it  became  a  part  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
and  there  we  read  this  sentence,  which  Roger  Williams  him- 
self might  have  written,  "  Congress  shall  make  no  law  respect- 
ing an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise 
thereof!' 1 

109.  Settlement  of  Rhode  Island;  the  Charter.  Later,  emi- 
grants from  Massachusetts  planted  colonies  at  Portsmouth,  New- 
port, and  Warwick.  Williams  went  to  England  (1644)  and  got 
a  charter  which  united  these  colonies  and  practically  gave  them 
full  power  to  rule  themselves  by  such  form  of  government 
as  they  thought  best.  That  charter  was  confirmed  by  a  second, 
and  though  Andros  (§  98),  when  he  was  made  governor  of 
New  England,  tried  hard  to  get  possession  of  it,  yet  Rhode 
Island  kept  it  as  her  form  of  government  until  long  after  the 
Revolution  (1842). 

Rhode  Island  always  remained  true  to  the  principle  of  "  soul 
liberty,"  first  successfully  put  in  practice  by  Roger  Williams 
(§  79) ;  and  though  at  one  time  Catholics  and  Jews  were  not 
allowed  to  vote,2  yet  they  had  full  freedom  of  worship,  and  not 

1  See  Amendments  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Article  I.  Compare  also 
Article  VI  of  the  Constitution  :  "No  religious  test  shall  ever  be  required  as  a  qualification  to 
any  office  or  public  trust  under  the  United  States." 

2  On  this  point  see  Winsor's  "America,"  III,  379,  380. 


96 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


a  single  blot  of  religious  persecution  rests  on  the  fair  pages  of  the 
history  of  the  colony. 

During  the  Revolution  every  man  in  Rhode  Island  stood  ready 
to  fight  for  independence. 

no.  Summary.  Roger  Williams,  an  exiled  minister  from  Mas- 
sachusetts, with  others,  colonized  Rhode  Island  and  first  established 
entire  freedom  of  worship  in  this  country.  That  principle  now 
forms  part  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 


IX.    New  Sweden,  or  Delaware  (1638) 

in.  The  Swedes  plant  a  Colony  on  the  Delaware;  it  is  cap- 
tured by  the  Dutch.  The  names  of  the  first  European  colo- 
nies in  America 
were  generally  ex- 
pressive of  ambi- 
tion, youth,  and 
hope.  It  was  be- 
cause the  nations 
of  the  Old  World 
had  resolved  to 
build  up  grander 
nations  in  the 
New.  Thus  the 
Spaniards      had 

founded  a  New  Spain 1 ;  the  French  a  New  France 2 ;  the  Dutch, 
or  Netherlanders,  a  New  Netherland  (§59);  the  English,  a 
New  England. 

The  Swedes,  animated  by  a  like  feeling,  endeavored  to  begin 
here  a  New  Sweden  (1638).  That  year  their  government  sent 
over  a  colony  which  landed  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Delaware 
River.  At  a  point  near  where  Wilmington  now  stands  the  emi- 
grants built  a  fort  which  they  named  Christina  in  honor  of  young 
Queen  Christina  of  Sweden. 


The  Swedes  making  a  Settlement  on  the 
Delaware  River 


1  New  Spain.   This  name  was  given  by  the  Spaniards  to  Mexico,  but  Florida  was  also 
sometimes  so  called.  2  Canada  was  also  known  by  the  name  of  New  France. 


1663-1703]       THE  ENGLISH  TAKE. THE  COUNTRY  97 

The  Dutch  had  already  attempted  to  settle  Delaware  (1629). 
They  claimed  the  territory ;  and  Governor  Stuyvesant  (§62)  came 
with  a  fleet  from  New  Amsterdam  (1654),  captured  the  country, 
and  sent  home  those  of  the  colonists  who  would  not  swear  fidelity 
to  the  Dutch  government. 

112.  The  English  take  the  Country;  the  State  of  Delaware. 
The  Dutch  had  been  in  possession  of  the  land  a  little  over  ten 
years  when  the  English  Duke  of  York  seized  it  (1665),  as  he  had 
already  seized  that  on  the  Hudson  (§  62).  He  sold  it  (168 1)  to  the 
Quaker,  William  Penn  (§§65,  119).  Penn  called  the  country  "  The 
Territories,"  or  "  The  Three  Lower  Counties  on  the  Delaware." 
Up  to  the  Revolution  it  was  considered  a  part  of  Pennsylvania 
and  was  under  the  control  of  the  governor  of  that  province, 
although  after  a  time  (1703)  the  people  —  among  whom  were 
many  English  Quakers  and  Welsh  —  obtained  the  privilege  of 
having  a  Legislature  of  their  own. 

In  1776,  when  the  war  against  Great  Britain  broke  out,  the 
inhabitants  of  "  The  Territories  "  declared  themselves  a  free  and 
independent  state,  and  took  the  name  of  Delaware  from  the  river 
which  forms  the  northeastern  boundary  of  the  state. 

Though  the  smallest  of  all  the  states,  save  Rhode  Island,  Dela- 
ware was  foremost  in  accepting  the  national  Constitution  (1787), 
and  was  therefore  the  first  to  enter  the  American  Union.  On  that 
roll  of  honor  her  name  leads  all  the  rest. 

113.  Summary.  This  colony,  settled  by  the  Swedes  as  New 
Sweden,  was  taken  by  the  Dutch,  and  then  by  the  English,  who 
sold  it  to  William  Penn.  He  governed  it  as  part  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. When  it  became  independent  it  took  the  name  of  Delaware. 
After  the  Revolution  it  was  the  first  state  to  adopt  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States. 


X-XI.    North  and  South  Carolina  (1663) 

114.  Grant  of  Carolina;  First  Settlements.  Charles  II  of 
England  granted  an  immense  tract  of  land  (1663)  south  of  Vir- 
ginia to  a  company  composed   of    Lord    Clarendon   and  seven 


98         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1670-1680 


associates.  Out  of  compliment  to  the  King  the  territory  was  called 
Carolina.1  On  the  coast  it  embraced  the  entire  region  now  included 
in  the  states  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  a  part  of 
Florida ;  like  Virginia  (§  43),  Massachusetts  (§  77),  and  Connect- 
icut (§  98),  it  extended  westward  to  the  Pacific. 

115.  Settlement  of  Charleston;  the  Huguenots.  The  first  set- 
tlement direct  from  England  was  made  (1670)  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ashley  River,  in  the  southern  part  of  Carolina. 

Ten  years  later  (1680)  the  colonists  moved  across  to  the  pen- 
insula between  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  rivers,  and  there  laid  the 

foundations  of  the  city  of 
Charleston. 

From  the  outset  the 
Company  granted  reli- 
gious liberty  to  all  colo- 
nists. One  of  the  results 
of  that  wise  policy  was 
that  many  Huguenots,  or 
French  Protestants  (§23), 
fled  to  Carolina  to  escape 
the  terrible  persecution  to 
which  they  were  subject 
in  their  native  land.  No 
better  class  of  emigrants 
could  have  been  desired. 
They  represented  not  only  the  best  bone  and  sinew,  but  the  best 
intellect  and  conscience  of  France.  They  brought  with  them  that 
power  and  influence  which  spring  not  from  rank  or  money  but 
from  character. 

A  hundred  years  later,  two  of  the  descendants  of  those 
South    Carolina    Huguenots  —  Henry    Laurens,2  the    statesman, 

1  Carolina :  the  name  was  originally  given  to  the  country  by  Charles  IX  of  France  at  the 
time  of  the  attempted  French  settlements  (§  23),  and  was  retained  out  of  honor  to  the  Eng- 
lish king  Charles  II.  The  name  was  derived  from  Carolus,  Latin  for  Charles.  It  was  cus- 
tomary for  kings  to  employ  the  Latin  form  for  their  names. 

2  Henry  Laurens:  he  was  the  fourth  president  of  the  Continental  Congress  (1777)  and 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  sent  to  Paris  to  sign  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  at 
the  close  of  the  Revolution. 


Laurens  and  Marion 


1693-1712]  NORTH  AND  SOUTH  CAROLINA  99 

and  General  Marion,1  the  noble  Revolutionary  leader  —  won  im- 
perishable renown  by  their  services  in  the  cause  of  American 
liberty.  / 

116.  The  V Grand  Model";  Division  of  the  Territory  into 
North  and  South  Carolina.  Meantime  (1670),  the  eminent  Eng- 
lish philosopher,  John  Locke,  had  drafted  a  constitution  for  Caro- 
lina, called  the  "  Grand  Model." 

The  "  Grand  Model  "  established  a  nobility  who  practically  held 
all  power.  It  also  set  up  courts  of  justice  intended  to  regulate 
everything  from  the  gravest  questions  of  law  down  to  the  cut  of 
a  man's  coat,  or  the  trimming  of  a  woman's  bonnet. 

This  remarkable  constitution  gave  the  common  people  no  rights. 
They  could  not  vote ;  they  could  not  hold  landed  property ;  they 
could  not  even  leave  the  soil  they  tilled,  without  permission  from 
the  nobleman  who  owned  it.  When  a  wealthy  planter  bought  a 
tract  of  land  in  Carolina  he  expected  to  purchase  the  white  laborers 
on  it :  they,  like  the  trees  and  the  stones,  were  considered  a  part 
of  the  estate. 

But  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory  decidedly  objected 
to  the  "  Grand  Model."  They  were  resolved  to  own  themselves, 
to  own  the  labor  of  their  hands,  to  own  all  the  land  they  could 
honestly  buy,  and,  lastly,  to  make  their  own  laws.  After  twenty 
years  of  contest  they  succeeded.  The  colony  was  eventually  divided 
(17 1 2)  into  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  from  that  time  until 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  (1776)  each  was  subject  to  a 
governor  appointed  by  the  King. 

117.  Growth  of  the  Two  Colonies;  Introduction  of  Rice  and 
Indigo  Culture;  Charleston.  The  growth  of  North  Carolina  was 
very  slow,  and  the  manufacture  of  pitch,  tar,  and  turpentine  did 
not  tend  to  build  up  large  towns. 

In  South  Carolina,  Charleston  made  little  progress  for  the 
first  twenty  years.  But  about  that  time  (1693)  the  Captain  of  a 
vessel  coming  from  the  Far  East  gave  the  Governor  of  the  colony 
a  bag  of  rice  to  plant  as  an  experiment.    He  distributed  the  rice 

1  General  Marion  :  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  War  of  Independence  (§  184).  His  epitaph 
declares  with  entire  truth  that  he  "  lived  without  fear,  and  died  without  reproach." 


OO       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1741 


among  the  planters  and  they  set  their  slaves  to  raising  it.  In 
time  South  Carolina  became  the  largest  rice-producing  and  rice- 
exporting  state  in  the  Union. 

Next,  a  lady  living  near  Charleston  planted  a  little  indigo 
(i 741).  The  frost  killed  it.  She  planted  more  and  the  worms 
destroyed  it.  She  began  again  and  this  time  she  succeeded. 
To  the  colonists  the  news  of  her  crop,  small  as  it  was,  was 
like   the  report  of  the  discovery  of  a   gold  mine.    Indigo   then 

brought  in  Europe  sometimes 
a  dollar  and  a  half  a  pound  ; 
and  shortly  before  the  Revo- 
lution Charleston  ex- 
ported over  a  million 
pounds  in  a  single  year. 
After  the  Revolution 
(1793)  cotton  (§205) 
was  found  to  be  even 
more  profitable  than 
indigo,  and  so  the  cul- 
ture of  that  plant  was 
given  up. 

The  exportation  of 
rice  and  indigo  made 
the  city  grow  rapidly. 
Josiah  Quincy  of  Bos- 
ton visited  it  (1773), 
and  said  of  it,  "  In 
almost  everything  it  far  surpasses  all  I  ever  saw  or  ever  expected 
to  see  in  America." 

118.  Summary.  Carolina,  which  was  eventually  divided  into 
North  and  South  Carolina,  was  settled  by  emigrants  from  Vir- 
ginia, by  English,  and  also  by  Huguenots,  or  French  Protestants. 
General  Marion  of  the  Revolution  was  a  descendant  from  a 
Huguenot  family.  The  English  Company  owning  the  province 
undertook  to  govern  it  by  a  constitution  called  the  "  Grand 
Model,"   but   the    people    refused   to  accept  it  and    insisted  on 


The  Gift  of  Rice  to  South  Carolina 


1681]  GRANT  TO  WILLIAM  PENN  \        \  t  y[  '/&&; 

0 
governing  themselves.  North  Carolina  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  tar,  pitch,  and  turpentine ;  South  Carolina  began  the 
culture  of  rice  and  indigo,  both  of  which  proved  highly  profit- 
able. At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  Charleston  was  one  of 
the  chief  cities  of  America. 


XII.    Pennsylvania  (1681) 

119.  Grant  of  Pennsylvania  to  William  Penn;  the  "  Holy 
Experiment."  Charles  II  owed  William  Penn,  the  most  influen- 
tial of  the  English  Friends,  or  Quakers  (§  83),  a  large  sum  of 
money.  As  that  good-natured  but  extravagant  monarch  always 
contracted  as  many  debts  as  possible  and  paid  as  few,  Penn 
suggested  to  his  Majesty  that  he  might  easily  settle  his  claim 
by  granting  him  a  tract  of 
land  in  America.  The  propo- 
sition pleased  the  King,  and  he 
gave  Penn  a  territory  of  about 
forty-eight  thousand  square 
miles  fronting  on  the  Delaware 
River.  Charles  named  this  vast 
region    (which  was   nearly  as 

large   as  the   whole  of    Eng- 

1       -n    r>  1        •  n         »  Penn  at  Newcastle 

land)  Pennsylvania,  or  Penn  s 

Woods.    Penn  was  well  known  in  Europe  for  his  fair  dealing. 

Everybody  had    confidence  in    him.     For   this  reason  not   only 

English  Quakers  but  many  Germans  got  ready  to  emigrate   to 

Pennsylvania. 

In  those  woods   Penn  resolved  to  begin  what  he  called  his 

"  Holy  Experiment."    He  set  out  to  establish  a  "  free  colony " 

on  the  basis  of  that  Golden   Rule  which   commands  us  to  do 

unto  others  as  we  wish  them  to  do  unto  us.    The  Quaker  founder 

thought  that  even  the  North  American  savages  could  understand 

that  principle  and  would  let  the  people  who  practiced  it  grow  up 

in  peace.    The  King  suggested  that  the  savages  would  be  more 

likely  to  respect  a  well-armed  regiment  of  soldiers  ;  but  Penn  had 


I.O?       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1681 


Part  of  the  Border  and  Text  of  King  Charles 

no  faith  in  the  virtues  of  gunpowder  and 
would  not  send  so  much  as  a  single  musket 
to  protect  his  colony. 

120.  Emigration  to  Pennsylvania;  Land- 
ing at  Newcastle;  Philadelphia.  Penn  sent 
out  some  emigrants  (1681),  and  followed  the 
next  year  with  one  hundred  English  Quak- 
ers (§  83).  He  landed  at  Newcastle  in  what 
is  now  Delaware.  He  had  purchased  that 
territory  from  the  Duke  of  York  (§  112),  to 
add  to  Pennsylvania. 

The  whole  population  of  the  region  gath- 
ered to  welcome  him  and  to  witness  the  in- 
teresting ceremony  of  his  taking  possession 
of  his  vast  estate.  First,  a  piece  of  turf  was 
handed  to  Penn  —  that  meant  that  he  owned 
the  land  and  all  that  grew  on  it ;  next,  a 
dish  filled  from  the  Delaware  River  was 
given  to  him  —  that  signified  that  he  owned 
the  water ;  finally,  the  key  of  the  fort  was  solemnly  presented  to 
him  —  that  act  completed  the  transfer,  for  it  acknowledged  his 


1681-1683] 


THE  "GREAT  LAW 


103 


PPH 


t& 


l&w*  ^anEm^*! 


fj  aBE  <ffi  to  wGexnc  tfefe  yt-iTc^H  **><*$.  t»mt> 


fofftty? 


l*$ 


^j'<^tc^  gott-H.  ~»ttb    fi<tr<7  cfr^tv 


38 


0tic6 


t<»t.ttot>iHe^|  *»-,«*. 


dn  R^U-gytt  BtQESSKjESa^ 


rem.*frer  ttttfctrvSi&i  W  frfie? 


y»»rfcg^  ptmat-tcA  wot  yfa  c^tHg»H» 


II's  Charter  to  Penn,  with  Portrait  of  the  King 


right  to  hold  both  land  and  water  by  military 
force,  —  the  last  thing  he,  as  a  zealous  Quaker, 
would  wish  to  do. 

Penn  then  proceeded  up  the  Delaware  River 
and  founded  a  city  (1682)  to  which  he  gave  the 
Bible  name  of  Philadelphia,  or  Brotherly  Love 
(Revelation  iii.  7-8). 

He  had  planned  it  all  before  he  left  England. 
It  is  said  that  not  even  a  thousand  dollars  has 
had  to  be  spent  since  in  straightening  or  widen- 
ing streets,  for  that  work  was  done,  once  for  all, 
in  Penn's  orderly  brain  before  the  first  house  was 
built  (1683). 

121.  The  M  Great  Law."  Furthermore,  Penn 
called  an  assembly  at  Chester,  and  he  with  the 
people  enacted  the  "Great  Law"  (1682). 

That  constitution  had  a  twofold  foundation,  — 
liberty  of  the  people  to  make  their  own  laws,  and 
obedience  to  the  laws  they  had  made ;   for,  said 
Penn,   "  Liberty  without  obedience  is  confusion,  and  obedience 
without  liberty  is  slavery." 


*<*&* 


104       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

By  the  "  Great  Law  "  it  was  provided  : 

i.  That  all  colonists  should  be  protected  in  their  worship  of 
God,  but  that  no  one  should  be  compelled  to  support  or  attend 
any  form  of  worship  against  his  will.1 

2.  That  all  resident  taxpayers  should  have  the  right  to  vote, 
and  that  every  member  of  any  Christian  church  might  hold  office 
and  become  a  member  of  the  legislative  assembly.2 

3.  That  every  child,  after  reaching  the  age  of  twelve,  should 
be  brought  up  to  some  trade  or  useful  occupation. 

4.  That  the  death  penalty  should  be  inflicted  for  two  crimes 
only,  instead  of  for  two  hundred,  as  in  England ;  those  two  were 
murder  and  treason. 

5 .  Furthermore,  it  was  ordered  —  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in 
the  history  of  the  world  —  that  every  prison  should  be  made  a 
workshop  and  a  place  of  reformation.3 

122.  The  Great  Treaty;  Growth  and  Importance  of  Philadel- 
phia. Penn's  next  act  (1682) 4  was  a  treaty  with  the  Indians. 
According  to  tradition  he  met  the  Red  Men  under  the  branches 
of  a  wide-spreading  elm  in  what  was  then  the  vicinity  of  Philadel- 
phia.5 There  solemn  promises  of  mutual  friendship  were  made. 
In  accordance,  however,  with  the  principles  of  the  Quaker  faith,  no 
oaths  were  taken  (§83).    Each  trusted  to  the  other's  simple  word. 

That  treaty  was  "  never  broken,"  6  and  for  sixty  years,  or  as 
long  as  the  Quakers  held  control,  the  people  of   Pennsylvania 

1  No  person  believing  in  God  and  living  peaceably  and  justly  "  shall  in  any  wise  be 
molested."  —  The  "Great  Law,"  Section  i,  Hazard's  "Annals  of  Pennsylvania." 

2  This  is  according  to  Section  65  of  The  " Great  Law  " ;  but  Section  2  of  the  same  would 
appear  to  limit  the  right  to  elect  members  to  the  assembly  to  "  such  as  profess  and  declare 
they  believe  in  Jesus  Christ." 

8  The  prisons  of  Europe  at  that  time  were  dens  of  idleness  and  disorder,  and  the  criminal 
usually  came  out  actually  worse  than  he  went  in. 

4  See  Hazard's  "  Annals  of  Pennsylvania,"  p.  635  ;  but  some  authorities  fix  the  date  at 
1683  and  consider  the  treaty  to  have  covered  the  purchase  of  lands. 

5  The  treaty  was  made  at  Kensington,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  city.  The  Treaty 
Elm  was  blown  down  in  1810.  So  great  was  the  regard  for  the  old  tree  that  during  the 
Revolution,  when  the  British  forces  occupied  Philadelphia,  General  Simcoe,  their  com- 
mander, stationed  a  sentinel  under  it  to  prevent  his  soldiers  from  cutting  it  down  for  fire- 
wood. The  monument  marking  the  spot  where  it  stood  is  on  the  west  side  of  Beach  Street, 
north  of  Columbia  Street,  Kensington. 

6  Voltaire,  the  French  historian,  said  that  it  was  "  the  only  treaty  which  was  never  sworn  to 
and  never  broken  "  ;  if  he  had  heard  of  Carver's  treaty  (§  74) ,  he  would  have  mentioned  that  too. 


1682-] 


SUMMARY 


105 


lived  at  peace  with  the  natives.  The  site  of  the  tree  under 
which  that  memorable  transaction  took  place  is  now  marked  by 
a  monument.  The  Indian  record  of  the  treaty  —  a  belt  of  wam- 
pum representing  Penn  1  and  the  chief  clasping  hands  —  is  still 
preserved.2 

Philadelphia  grew  rapidly,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revo- 
lution it  was  the  largest  and  the  most  important  city  in  the 
American  colonies. 

There  the  first  Continental  Congress  met  (1774),  there  inde- 
pendence was  declared  (1776),  there  too  the  present  Constitution 
of  the    United   States  was   framed  x.~- 

(1787),  and  there  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment remained  (1 790-1 800)  un- 
til it  was  removed  to  Washington, 
then  "  a  backwoods  settlement  in  the 
wilderness." 

123.  Summary.  William  Penn 
founded  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania, 
or  "  Penn's  Woods."  He  gave  the 
people  the  right  to  take  part  in  mak- 
ing the  laws,  and  all  persons  believ- 
ing in  God  were  protected  in  their 
religion.  He  made  a  treaty  of  peace 
with  the  Indians  which  was  sacredly  kept.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Revolution  Philadelphia  was  the  chief  city  of  the  country  and 
long  the  seat  of  government. 

1  William  Penn  set  sail  for  England,  August  12, 1684,  having  spent  not  quite  two  years  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  visited  the  colony  again  in  1699,  and  returned  to  England  in  1701,  where 
he  spent  the  remaining  seventeen  years  of  his  life.  His  outlay  in  Pennsylvania  had  involved 
him  heavily  in  debt,  and  in  1709  he  was  obliged  to  mortgage  his  province  for  ^6600.  Other 
misfortunes  fell  upon  him,  and  at  one  time  he  was  a  prisoner  for  debt  in  London.  He  was 
negotiating  a  sale  of  his  right  in  Pennsylvania  to  the  English  government  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  successors  were  unlike  him,  and  their  greedy  and  unjust  policy  created  constant 
irritation.    In  1779  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  purchased  their  rights  for  #650,000. 

2  For  cut  showing  this  belt  see  §  35 .  Penn  is  the  right-hand  figure.  The  belt  is  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  Philadelphia.   See  their  "  Memoirs,"  Vol.  VI. 


The  Penn  Treaty  Monument 


106       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1733 

XIII.    Georgia  (1733) 

124.  Oglethorpe's  Project  for  the  Settlement  of  Georgia;  his 
Three  Objects.  Many  years  after  Penn  founded  his  colony  the 
English  general  James  Oglethorpe,  with  others,  obtained  from 
George  II  a  charter  for  colonizing  the  unoccupied  part  of  South 
Carolina. 

In  honor  of  the  King  the  new  colony  was  named  Georgia. 
It  extended  along  the  coast  from  the  Savannah  River  to  the 
Altamaha  River.  Westward,  as  in  the  case  of  Virginia  (§  43), 
Massachusetts  (§  JJ),  the  Carolinas  (§  1 14),  and  Connecticut  (§  98), 
the  tract  extended  to  the  Pacific.    (Map,  p.  51.) 

In  this  undertaking  Oglethorpe  and  his  associates  had  three 
great  objects  in  view. 

1 .  They  wished  to  help  the  poor  debtors  in  prison  in  England 
to  go  to  America.  Many  of  these  men  had  been  thrown  into  jail 
in  London  because  they  could  not  pay  some  trifling  debt  which 
they  had  contracted  through  sickness  or  misfortune.  They  were 
often  honest,  hard-working  people,  and  Oglethorpe  believed  that 
in  Georgia  they  would  have  an  opportunity  to  make  a  new  start 
in  life. 

2.  Oglethorpe  also  wished  to  open  a  refuge  in  America  for 
Protestants  who  were  being  driven  out  of  southern  Germany  on 
account  of  their  religion. 

3.  He  wanted  to  establish  Georgia  as  a  frontier  colony  which 
would  protect  Charleston,  South  Carolina  (§  115),  from  attacks  by 
the  Spaniards  of  Florida  (§  23). 

125.  The  Settlement  at  Savannah;  Silk  Culture.  Oglethorpe 
went  out  with  the  first  emigrants  and  built  the  town  of  Savannah 
on  the  Savannah  River  (1733). 

Mulberry  trees  grew  wild  in  Georgia,  and  as  their  leaves  are 
the  best  food  for  silkworms,  the  colonists  hoped  to  produce  silk  in 
large  quantities.  The  silk  culture,  however,  never  went  very  far, 
and  in  the  end  cotton  was  found  to  be  much  more  profitable. 

126.  Restrictions  on  the  Colony.  Oglethorpe  and  his  associates 
were  determined  to  make  Georgia  a  model  colony  where  every 


1733-] 


GOVERNMENT  OF  GEORGIA 


107 


man  should  work  with  his  hands  and  where  none  should  indulge 
in  strong  drink.  In  every  one  of  the  other  twelve  colonies  in 
America  the  people  held  slaves  and  made  use  of  West  India  rum, 
which  was  then  a  common  beverage  everywhere. 

But  the  people  of  Georgia  were  forbidden  to  buy  either  ne- 
groes or  rum.  This  regulation  produced  great  discontent,  since 
without  slaves  the  colonists  could  not  raise  rice,  like  the  South 
Carolinians  (§11 7),  and  unless  they 
could  import  rum  from  the  West 
Indies,  as  the  other  colonists  did, 
they  could  not  open  a  trade  with 
those  islands. 

Furthermore,  Oglethorpe  and  his 
associates  established  a  government 
which  provided  that  for  twenty-one 
years  the  colonists  should  have  no 


voice   in  making  the  laws.    This 


The  Landing  at  Savannah 


regulation  kept  the  great  body  of 
the  people  like  children  and  made 
that  best  of  all  education  —  the 
education  which  comes  from  self- 
government  —  impossible.  Liberty 
of  worship  was  granted,  but  not  to 
Catholics.  Finally,  a  fourth  regu- 
lation confined  the  ownership  of 
land  to  those  who  could  do  mili- 
tary service  in  its  defense.    This 

cut  off  women  from  inheriting  real  estate,  and  all  colonists  who 
did  not  have  sons  protested  against  it. 

127.  The  Wesley s;  Whitefield;  Restrictions  removed ;  the  Span- 
iards ;  Natural  Resources  of  Georgia.  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 
the  founders  of  the  Methodist  church  in  England,  went  out  to 
Georgia  as  missionaries  to  the  Indians.  Later,  another  noted 
preacher  of  one  branch  of  that  denomination,  the  Rev.  George 
Whitefield,  established  an  orphan  asylum  near  Savannah,  which 
he  partly  supported  by  slave  labor.    John  Wesley  hated  slavery 


108       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1750-1752 

and  believed  that  it  was  a  sin  against  God  and  man ;  but  White- 
field  believed  that  the  negro  was  not  then  fit  to  be  free,  and  that 
slavery  was  just  the  sort  of  schoolmaster  he  needed. 

Whitefield,  with  others,  succeeded  in  getting  the  proprietors 
of  the  colony  to  permit  the  planters  to  purchase  slaves  to  work  in 
their  rice  swamps  (1750) ;  next,  the  prohibition  on  the  importation 
of  rum  from  the  West  Indies  was  removed,  and  the  land  laws 
were  changed  for  the  better.  The  result  was  that  Georgia  built 
up  a  flourishing  commerce  and  became  able  to  hold  her  own  with 
the  Carolinas. 

The  colony  was  successful  in  checking  the  attacks  of  the 
Spaniards.  Oglethorpe  defeated  an  expedition  which  they  sent 
to  conquer  and  drive  out  the  settlers,  and  he  did  the  work  so 
thoroughly  that  the  enemy  had  no  desire  to  make  his  further 
acquaintance.1 

Soon  afterward  Georgia  became  a  royal  province  (1752)  and 
was  governed  by  the  crown  until  the  Revolution.  No  colony 
planted  by  the  English  possesses  greater  natural  resources  or  nat- 
ural wealth  —  in  cotton,  coal,  and  iron  —  than  the  territory  that 
was  first  settled  by  the  philanthropist  Oglethorpe,  who  sought  the 
prosperity  of  all.  If  he  could  see  what  Georgia  has  become,  and, 
better  still,  see  its  probable  future,  he  would  feel  that  he  could  not 
have  chosen  more  wisely. 

128.  Summary.  Georgia,  the  last  of  the  thirteen  colonies,  and 
one  of  the  richest  in  its  natural  advantages,  was  settled  by  Eng- 
lish emigrants  brought  over  by  General  Oglethorpe,  as  a  work 
of  charity.  One  chief  object  of  the  colony  was  the  raising  of  silk. 
That,  however,  was  unsuccessful.  In  the  outset  the  settlers  had 
no  power  of  self-government,  and  the  land  laws  caused  much 
discontent.  Slavery  and  the  importation  of  rum  from  the  West 
Indies  were  forbidden,  but  later  both  were  allowed,  the  people 
got  the  management  of  the  colony,  in  considerable  measure,  and 
Georgia  opened  a  profitable  trade  with  the  West  Indies. 

1  The  defeat  of  the  Spaniards  had  the  effect  of  extending  the  southern  boundary  of 
Georgia  to  the  St.  Johns  River,  Florida.    In  1763  it  was  fixed  at  the  present  line. 


1669-1673]  FRENCH  EXPLORATION  109 

The  French  Exploration  of  the  West 

129.  French  Exploration  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley;  the  Catholic  Missionaries.  While  the  English  col- 
onists had  been  getting  firm  possession  of  the  coast  from  Maine 
to  Georgia,  the  French  in  Canada  (§  48)  had  not  been  sitting 
still.  In  fact,  it  was  they,  and  not  the  English,  who  were  the 
explorers  of  the  West.  Among  the  first  Europeans  who  dared 
to  push  their  way  into  that  vast  wilderness  were  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries, who  had  come  here  to  convert  the  Indians.  In  their 
zeal  for  this  work  they  braved  all  dangers  —  enduring  hunger, 
cold,  and  torture  without  a  murmur.  Long  before  William  Penn's 
emigrants  had  felled  the  first  tree  for  the  first  log  cabin  in 
Philadelphia,  these  missionaries  had  reached  the  western  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  (1669)  and  had  planted  missions  among  the 
Indians  at  Mackinaw,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  Green  Bay.  (Map, 
p.  in.) 

130.  Joliet  and  Marquette  on  the  Mississippi.  A  few  years 
later  (1673)  Joliet,  a  famous  French  explorer  and  fur  trader, 
and  Father  Marquette,  a  Catholic  priest,  set  out  from  Mackinaw 
to  find  a  great  river  which  the  Indians  told  them  lay  west  of 
Lake  Michigan.  Making  their  way  in  birch-bark  canoes  (§  34) 
to  the  head  of  Green  Bay,  they  paddled  up  the  Fox  River  to  a 
place  which  they  called  Portage1;  then  carrying  their  canoes 
across  a  short  distance,  they  embarked  on  the  Wisconsin  River. 
(Map,  p.  in.)  Borne  by  the  current,  they  dropped  down  the 
Wisconsin  until,  on  a  beautiful  day  in  June,  they  floated  out  on 
the  broad,  shining  bosom  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  The  sight 
of  it  was  enough  :  they  knew  that  they  had  found  that  mighty 
stream  which  the  Indians  called  the  "  Father  of  Waters." 

Turning  their  canoes  southward,  they  let  the  river  bear  them 
where  it  would.  Day  after  day  they  kept  on  their  silent  jour- 
ney. They  glided  by  castle-shaped  cliffs,  open  prairies,  and  hun- 
dreds of  miles  of  unbroken  forest.    Thus  they  drifted  on,  past  the 

1  Portage :  a  French  word,  meaning  a  carrying  place,  because  at  such  points  canoes  or 
goods  were  carried  across  from  one  stream  to  another.    (See  Map,  p.  in.) 


no       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1673-1679 

muddy  torrent  of  the  Missouri,  past  the  mouth  of  the  beautiful 
Ohio.  In  about  three  weeks  the  explorers  came  to  the  spot  where 
De  Soto  (§  21)  had  crossed  the  river  more  than  a  hundred  years 
before  ;  then,  pushing  on,  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas. 
There  some  Indians  told  them  that  the  tribes  below  were  hostile 
to  strangers  and  that  they  had  better  return.  Joliet  and  Marquette 
took  their  advice,  got  into  their  canoes,  and  patiently  paddled  their 
way  back.  Under  the  burning  sun  they  battled  for  hundreds  of 
miles  against  the  powerful  current ;  it  was  indeed  a  tremendous 
piece  of  uphill  work. 

At  last  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois ;  they  worked 
their  way  up  that  river  to  an  Indian  village  just  below  Ottawa, 


Joliet  and  Marquette  entering  the  Mississippi 

and  then  made  their  way  across  to  Lake  Michigan.  They  had  not 
followed  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf,  as  they  intended,  but  who 
will  say  that  they  had  not  made  a  good  beginning  ? 

131.  La  Salle  reaches  the  Mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  Six  years 
later  (1679)  La  Salle,  the  greatest  of  the  French  explorers,  a  man 
of  active  brain  and  iron  will,  set  out  from  Canada  to  complete  the 
work  of  Joliet  and  Marquette.  On  the  Niagara  River,  not  far 
above  the  falls,  he  built  the  first  sailing  vessel  ever  launched  on 
the  upper  Great  Lakes.  In  her  he  sailed  to  Green  Bay ;  then, 
sending  the  vessel  back  for  supplies,  he  and  his  companions  went 
in  canoes  to  the  St.  Joseph  River,1  near  the  southeastern  corner 
of  Lake  Michigan.  (Map,  p.  1 1 1.)  There  they  built  a  fort ;  then, 
crossing  over  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Kankakee,  a  tributary  of 
the  Illinois,  they  descended  that  river  to  the  point  where  Peoria 
now  stands.    There  they  built  a  second  fort. 

1  La  Salle  paddled  from  Green  Bay  round  to  the  St.  Joseph  River,  Michigan. 


1679-] 


LA  SALLE  REACHES  THE  MISSISSIPPI 


ill 


Leaving  a  small  garrison  to  hold  this  position,  La  Salle,  near 
the  end  of  winter,  went  back  on  foot  to  Fort  Frontenac  (now 


100  .200 


Key  West 


•••  **  %    •»< 


^ 


Map  showing  the  thirteen  English  Colonies  and  the  French 
Explorations  and  Settlements  in  the  West 

Kingston),  on  Lake  Ontario,  in  eastern  Canada.  (Map,  above.) 
He  made  that  journey  of  a  thousand  miles  to  get  the  supplies 
which  he  needed  for  the  exploration  of  the  Mississippi. 


2       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1681-1682 


While  he  was  gone,  Father  Hennepin,  a  Catholic  missionary 
in  La  Salle's  expedition,  set  out  from  the  fort  to  explore  the 
country.  After  many  startling  adventures  he  finally  reached  a 
cataract  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  which  he  named  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony. 

When  La  Salle  returned  to  Illinois  (1681),  he  found  his  fort 
deserted    and    in    ruins.     But   the    brave    Frenchman    knew   no 

such  word  as  fail.  In  the 
autumn  he  set  out  on  his 
great  expedition  for  the  third 
time.  Landing  at  the  head  of 
Lake  Michigan,  where  Chi- 
cago now  stands,  he  crossed 
over  to  the  Illinois  and,  go- 
ing down  that  river,  entered 
the  Mississippi  in  February 
(1682).  The  weather  was 
"  bitter  cold,"  and  the  river 
full  of  floating  ice  ;  but  La 
Salle  started  with  his  com- 
pany on  his  perilous  voyage. 
Nine  weeks  later  he  reached 
the  sunny  waters  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico. 

There  he  set  up  a  rude 
wooden  cross,  on  which  he 
fastened  a  metal  plate  bear- 
ing the  arms  of  France.1 
Then  with  volleys  of  musketry  and  loud  shouts  of  "  God  save  the 
King!"  La  Salle  took  possession  of  the  vast  territory  watered 
by  the  Mississippi  and  the  streams  which  flow  into  it.  To  that 
region  of  unknown  extent  —  twice  as  large  as  France,  Spain,  and 
Germany  united  —  he  gave  the  name  of  Louisiana,  in  honor  of 


La  Salle  taking  Possession  of 
Louisiana 


1  Arms  of  France :  a  shield  decorated  with  representations  of  the  heads  of  lilies  (here 
resembling  small  crosses).  The  latest  French  life  of  La  Salle  says  he  fastened  the  arms  of 
France  to  a  post  and  erected  a  cross  beside  it. 


1701-1718]  MOBILE  AND   NEW  ORLEANS  113 

Louis  XIV,  then  the  reigning  sovereign  of  France.  So  the  "  Grand 
Monarch,"  as  he  called  himself,  boasted  that  he  held  the  heart  of 
the  American  continent. 

132.  The  Founding  of  Mobile  and  New  Orleans.  Many  years 
later  John  Law,  an  enterprising  Scotchman,  got  permission  from 
France  to  establish  a  colony  in  Louisiana.  Law  expected  to  find 
rich  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  and  every  needy  and  greedy  French- 
man who  could  manage  to  scrape  a  few  dollars  together  wanted 
to  buy  stock  in  the  company.  The  speculation  failed  and  made 
thousands  beggars. 

Still  the  undertaking  had  some  permanent  results  for  good.  A 
Frenchman  named  Iberville  had  established  a  colony  at  Mobile, 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  (1701).  His  brother,  Bienville,  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  Louisiana.  It  was  hoped  that  he  would  send 
shiploads  of  treasure  back  to  France.  He  sent  nothing  of  the 
sort,  but  did  far  better,  for  he  founded  the  city  of  New  Orleans 
(171 8).  The  settlement  consisted  of  a  few  log  huts  built  around 
a  fort ;  it  was  destined  to  become  the  commercial  metropolis  of 
the  great  Mississippi  Valley,  —  a  valley  capable  of  producing  food 
enough  to  feed  all  the  civilized  races  of  the  globe. 

133.  The  English  hold  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  the  French  hold 
the  interior  of  the  country.  Meanwhile,  what  had  the  English 
colonists  in  the  East  done  toward  exploring  and  occupying  the 
country  ?  Practically  nothing.  They  simply  continued  to  hold  their 
first  settlement  on  the  Atlantic  coast ;  in  other  words,  the  east- 
ern edge  of  what  is  now  the  United  States.  The  long  range  of 
the  Allegheny  Mountains,  rising  like  an  immense  wall,  seemed  to 
hem  them  in. 

But  the  French,  starting  from  Canada,  had  obtained  a  firm  grip 
upon  the  interior  of  the  country.  They  held  the  Mississippi,  and 
with  it  they  claimed  to  hold  the  great  central  West,  extending 
from  the  Alleghenies  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

What  they  held  they  meant  to  keep ;  La  Salle  showed  that 
when  he  built  forts  at  the  most  important  points  of  his  explo- 
rations, all  the  way  down  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.    (Map,  p.  1 1 1 .) 


H4       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1689-1697 

The  French  and  Indian  Wars  (1689- 1763) 

134.  War  with  the  French;  Attacks  on  Schenectady,  Haver- 
hill, and  Deerfield ;  the  French  lose  Acadia.  In  Europe  the  French 
and  the  English  had  long  been  enemies.  The  desire  of  each  to 
get  possession  of  America  did  not  make  them  any  better  friends. 
In  1689  war  broke  out  between  the  rival  colonists.  With  intervals 
of  peace  that  contest1  extended  over  seventy  years  (1 689-1 763). 


SCALE  OF  MILES 


Map  illustrating  the  French  and  Indian  Wars 
(1689-1763) 

In  Europe  the  same  war  was  fought  between  England  and  France,      | 
and  it  lasted  even  longer. 

In  the  first  or  "  King  William's  War  "  (1689-1697)  the  French 
Governor  of  Canada  sent  an  expedition  of  French  and  Indians  to 
attack  the  colonies  on  and  near  the  Hudson.  They  secretly  came 
upon  the  little  village  of  Schenectady,  New  York,  at  midnight. 
They  burned  it  and  massacred  most  of  the  inhabitants.  But  some 
Indians  who  made   an  attack   on   Haverhill,   Massachusetts,  met 

1  This  war  and  those  that  follow  were  simply  the  American  side  of  a  hundred  years' 
struggle  waged  in  Europe  and  Asia,  between  the  English  and  the  French,  for  the  posses* 
sion  of  India  and  of  the  continent  of  America.  See  Seeley's  "  Expansion  of  England," 
Lecture  II. 


1697-1748]  TAKING  OF  LOUISBURG  115 

their  match.  A  small  party  of  savages  carried  off  Mrs.  Hannah 
Dustin  captive,  intending  to  sell  her  as  a  slave  in  Canada.  She 
got  possession  of  some  tomahawks,  and  with  the  help  of  another 
woman  and  a  boy,  also  prisoners,  she  split  the  heads  of  the  sleep- 
ing Indians,  and  carried  home  their  scalps,  ten  in  all,  in  triumph. 
A  regiment  of  such  women  would  have  soon  made  both  French 
and  Indians  beg  for  peace.  During  this  war  an  expedition  from 
Boston,  led  by  Sir  William  Phips  of  Maine,  captured  the  French 
fort  at  Port  Royal,  Acadia,  now  Nova  Scotia,  but  it  was  returned 
to  the  French  the  next  year  (169 1). 

In  the  second  or  "Queen  Anne's  War"  (1702-17 13)  a  party 
of  French  and  Indians  burned  Deerfield,  Massachusetts.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  New  Englanders  recaptured  Port  Royal  and  named 
it  Annapolis  in  honor  of  Queen  Anne  of  England.  They  also 
undertook  an  expedition  against  Quebec,  which  ended  in  ship- 
wreck and  terrible  loss  of  life.  When  peace  was  made  (17 13)  the 
English  not  only  kept  Annapolis  but  got  possession  of  Acadia, 
which  they  now  named  Nova  Scotia. 

135.  The  Third  War;  Taking  of  Louisburg.  There  was  a  long 
interval  of  peace,  and  then  the  third  or  "King  George's  War" 
broke  out  (1 744-1 748).  During  this  contest  the  New  England 
colonists  gained  a  remarkable  victory.  France  had  spent  millions 
in  fortifying  Louisburg,  on  Cape  Breton  Island,  so  that  it  might 
guard  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  and  the  River  St.  Lawrence.1 
The  fort  was  of  immense  extent  and  had  walls  of  solid  masonry 
thirty  feet  high.  Colonel  Pepperrell  of  Maine,  with  a  force  of  a 
few  thousand  Yankee  farmers  and  fishermen,  set  out  to  capture 
this  great  stronghold.  The  expedition  seemed  so  foolhardy  that 
even  Benjamin  Franklin2  ridiculed  it.    Though  himself  a  native 

1  France  needed  the  fortified  harbor  of  Louisburg  as  a  shelter  for  her  vessels,  as  a  protec- 
tion to  her  commerce  and  fisheries,  and  for  maintaining  free  communication  with  Canada. 

2  Benjamin  Franklin,  born  in  Boston,  1706;  died  in  Philadelphia,  full  of  years  and 
honors,  in  1790.  He  was  the  son  of  a  soap  boiler  and  candle  maker.  lie  learned  the  printer's 
trade  and  went  to  Philadelphia,  where,  in  1729,  he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Gazette.  Later,  he  entered  public  life,  went  abroad  as  agent  of  the  colonies, 
and  rendered  the  whole  country  his  debtor  by  his  eminent  services  in  the  cause  of  American 
independence.  The  succeeding  pages  of  this  history  will  show  that  his  name  deservedly 
ranks  with  that  of  Washington  as  one  of  the  founders  of  the  United  States.  For  a  full 
account  of  him  see  "  Benjamin  Franklin's  Life  by  Himself"  [Ginn  and  Company], 


n6       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1745-1754 

of  New  England,  and  full  of  faith  in  New  England  grit,  he  wrote 
to  his  brother  that  Louisburg  was  far  too  hard  a  nut  for  their 
teeth  to  crack.  But,  with  the  help  of  a  British  fleet,  Pepperrell 
and  his  men,  after  six  weeks'  fighting,  did  crack  it  (1745),  and 
Boston  fairly  went  wild  over  the  great  news.1  The  victory  had 
two  important  results : 

1.  It  broke  up  the  nest  of  French  pirates  at  Louisburg,  and 
so  put  an  end  to  their  capturing  and  plundering  Massachusetts 
fishing  vessels. 

2.  It  made  the  New  England  people  feel  that  they  could  beat 
the  French  even  when  they  had  granite  walls  to  protect  them. 


Taking  of  Louisburg  —  Dragging  the  Guns  across  the  Marsh 

At  the  end  of  the  war  England  gave  Louisburg  back  to  France ; 
but  she  could  not  give  back  the  confidence  the  French  once  had 
in  the  famous  fortress.  The  "  Yankees  "  had  taken  it ;  and  what 
men  have  done,  they  can  do  again. 

136.  The  Fourth  or  "  French  and  Indian  War";  the  Great 
Line  of  French  Forts.  The  fourth  and  final  struggle  (1 754-1 763) 
was  known  as  the  "  French  and  Indian  War."  It  was  fought  to 
decide  the  great  question  whether  the  French  or  the  English 
should  control  the  continent  of  America. 

The  English  outnumbered  the  French  fifteen  to  one ;  but  the 
French  had  got  possession  of  the  two  chief  rivers  of  the  country, 
—  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Mississippi  (§§48,   131,   133).    To 

1  Notwithstanding  the  bravery  of  Pepperrell  and  his  gallant  little  force,  it  is  not  likely 
that  they,  even  with  the  help  of  the  British  fleet,  could  have  taken  Louisburg  had  that  fort 
possessed  an  efficient  garrison  and  a  competent  commander.  It  had  neither,  and  hence  it 
fell.  England  was  astonished,  and  the  King  was  so  delighted  that  he  made  the  American 
commander  a  baronet,  —  Sir  William  Pepperrell.  He  was  the  first  native  of  New  England 
who  received  that  honor;  though  William  Phips  (§  134)  had  been  knighted  more  than  fifty 
years  before. 


1753-1754]  THE  OHIO  COMPANY  117 

clinch  their  hold  they  built  fort  after  fort,  until  they  had  a  line 
extending  from  Quebec  to  the  Great  Lakes,  and  thence  down 
the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  and  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf.  (Map, 
p.  in.)  Where  many  of  those  and  succeeding  forts  stood,  flour- 
ishing cities  have  since  risen,  which  still  keep  the  old  French 
or  Indian  names  of  Detroit,  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Natchez,  New 
Orleans.  That  shows  the  forethought  of  the  French  explorers. 
When  they  selected  a  spot  to  fortify,  they  seem  to  have  thought 
not  only  of  its  military  strength  but  also  of  the  possibilities  of  its 
growth  as  a  center  of  business  and  commerce. 

137.  The  Ohio  Company;  Governor  Dinwiddie's  Messenger. 
But  at  last  the  English  began  to  open  their  eyes  to  the  danger 
which  threatened  them.  They  saw  that  unless  they  moved  into 
the  rich  territory  west  of  the  Alleghenies,  they  would  lose  the 
heart  of  the  continent  and  the  French  would  have  everything 
their  own  way.  To  prevent  such  a  disaster  the  Ohio  Company 
was  formed  in  Virginia  (1748),  to  plant  a  colony  of  emigrants  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  upper  Ohio.1 

The  French  at  once  resolved  to  stop  the  movement,  and  began 
a  new  line  of  forts,  extending  southward  from  Erie  on  Lake 
Erie  to  the  point  where  the  Allegheny  and  the  Monongahela 
rivers  unite  to  form  the  Ohio.  That  point  at  the  head  of  inland 
navigation  was  called  the  "  Gateway  of  the  West."  Both  parties 
knew  its  importance ;  both  meant  to  seize  and  fortify  it.  (Map, 
p.  114.) 

Governor  Dinwiddie  of  Virginia  determined  (1753)  to  send  a 
messenger  to  Venango,  —  one  of  the  new  French  forts,  —  and 
warn  off  the  intruders.2  Whoever  undertook  such  a  journey  must 
travel  at  least  three  hundred  miles  on  foot,  climb  a  succession 
of  mountain  ranges,  cross  rivers  as  best  he  could,  and  risk  his 
life  among  hostile  Indians. 

1  The  first  Ohio  Company  (1748),  whose  chief  manager,  Lawrence  Washington,  brother 
of  George  Washington,  died  in  1752,  received  a  grant  of  500,000  acres  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Ohio,  between  the  Great  Kanawha  and  the  Monongahela  rivers.  The  region  is  now 
embraced  by  West  Virginia  and  southwest  Pennsylvania. 

2  The  English  maintained  that  they  had  purchased  the  Ohio  Valley  region  of  the  Iroquois 
Indians,  who  declared  that  they  had  conquered  it  many  years  before.  There  is  no  evidence 
that  the  Iroquois  had  any  right  to  sell  the  land 


118       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1753 


The  Governor  finally  decided  to  intrust  this  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous work  to  the  brother  of  the  late  chief  manager  of  the 
Ohio  Company,  a  young  man  of  twenty-one,  who  was  a  skill- 
ful surveyor,  knew  all 
about  life  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  did  not  know 
what  fear  meant.  The 
name  of  that  young 
man  may  still  be  read 
on  a  lofty  limestone 
cliff  of  the  Natural 
Bridge  in  Virginia, 
where,  when  a  lad,  he 
climbed  up  higher  than 
any  of  his  compan- 
ions dared  to  go,  and 
cut  it  with  his  hunt- 
ing  knife,  —  GEORGE 

WASHINGTON.1 

138.   Results    of 
Washington's  Journey. 

Washington  performed 
the  journey  (1 75  3),  but 
the  French  commander 
sent  back  an  unsatis- 
factory reply  to  the  Governor.  The  expedition  had,  however,  two 
important  results  : 

1.  It  impressed  Washington  with  the  immense  value  and  fu- 
ture growth  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  In  time  he  came  to  hold  more 
land  there  than   any  one   else  in  that  section.    Throughout  his 

1  George  Washington  was  born  at  Bridges  Creek,  Virginia,  on  the  Potomac,  about  fifty 
miles  south  of  where  Washington  now  stands.  His  father,  soon  after  the  birth  of  George, 
removed  to  an  estate  on  the  Rappahannock  opposite  Fredericksburg.  Nothing  remains  of 
the  old  homestead  at  Bridges  Creek  ;  but  a  stone  slab  marks  the  site  of  the  house,  and  bears 
this  inscription:  "  Here,  the  nth  of  February,  1732,  George  Washington  was  born."  Dif- 
ference of  reckoning  now  makes  the  nth  the  22d.  Washington's  great-grandfather,  John 
Washington,  emigrated  from  England  to  Virginia  about  1657.  It  is  generally  thought  that 
he  belonged  to  one  of  the  old  Cavalier  families  that  fought  in  behalf  of  Charles  I  during  the 


Washington  before  the  Revolution 


1754]  THE  ALBANY  CONVENTION  119 

life  he  used  his  influence  in  every  way  to  build  roads  and  canals 
to  open  up  and  settle  the  "  West,"  or  what  was  then  known 
by  that  name. 

2.  The  French  commander's  answer  was  plainly  a  challenge 
to  fight.  The  Ohio  Company  (§  137)  accepted  the  challenge  and 
began  to  build  a  fort  at  the  "Gateway  of  the  West"  (§  137); 
but  the  French  drove  them  out,  finished  building  it,  and  named 
it  Fort  Duquesne  in  honor  of  the  French  governor  of  Canada. 
Washington  then  began  a  small  fort,  which  he  called  Fort  Neces- 
sity, about  forty  miles  south  of  Fort  Duquesne ;  but  the  French 
came  in  overwhelming  force,  and  compelled 
him  to  surrender  it.    (Map,  p.  114.) 

139.  The  Albany  Convention;  Benjamin 
Franklin's  "SnaEe ;  Franklin's  Plan.  A  con- 
vention of  the  Northern  colonies  met  at  Albany 
(1754)  to  consider  what  should  be  done.  The 
Iroquois  Indians  of  New  York  (Map,  p.  36), 
who  were  stanch  friends  of  the  English,  sent 
some  of  their  people  to  the  convention.  They  warned  the  colo- 
nists that  if  they  did  not  take  up  arms,  the  French  would  drive 
every  Englishman  out  of  the  country. 

Benjamin  Franklin,  who  came  from  Philadelphia  to  attend  the 
convention,  printed  a  rude  wood  cut  in  his  paper,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Gazette,  which  told  its  own  story.  It  represented  the  col- 
onies in  the  form  of  a  snake  cut  in  pieces,  with  the  motto 
"  Unite  or  die."  Franklin  proposed  a  plan  for  binding  the 
colonies  together  for  self -protection,  but  it  was  not  adopted. 
The  English  government  rejected  it  as  too  democratic,  though 
the  colonists  thought  it  not  democratic  enough.    Even  then,  the 

English  Civil  War.  George  Washington  received  a  fair  English  education,  but  nothing  more. 
He  excelled  in  athletic  sports  and  horsemanship,  and  was  fond  of  life  in  the  woods.  He 
became  a  skillful  surveyor,  and  found  the  work  highly  profitable.  By  the  death  of  Lawrence 
Washington,  an  elder  brother,  George  came  eventually  into  possession  of  the  estate  of  Mount 
Vernon  (of  several  thousand  acres,  with  many  slaves),  on  the  Potomac,  a  short  distance  below 
the  present  city  of  Washington.  Washington's  mission  to  the  French  commander  at  Venango 
first  brought  him  into  public  notice.  In  1759  ne  married  Mrs.  Martha  Custis,  a  wealthy 
widow.  From  this  time  until  his  death,  in  1799,  he  will  stand  prominent  in  this  history.  For 
a  full  account  of  Washington,  see  "  Washington  and  His  Country  "  [Ginn  and  Company]. 


120       LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1755 


authorities   in   England    "  dreaded  American   union   as   the   key- 
stone of  independence."  * 

140.  Braddock's  Defeat;  Washington.  The  next  year  (1755) 
General  Braddock  came  from  England  with  troops  to  drive  the 
French  and  Indians  out  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  He  advanced  from 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  across  the  mountains  to  attack  Fort  Du- 
quesne  (§  138).   (Map,  p.  1 14.)   Washington  accompanied  him.  All 

went  well  until  the  British  army 
had  nearly  reached  the  fort.  Sud- 
denly a  savage  yell  rose  from  the 
woods  through  which  the  men  were 
marching,  followed  by  a  murder- 
ous volley  of  bullets  which  killed 
many.  The  English  general  was 
mortally  wounded.  A  panic  set 
in  ;  his  men  ran  like  sheep,  and 
were  shot  down  as  they  ran.  A 
few  days  later  Braddock  died, 
and  was  secretly  buried  at  night. 
Colonel  Washington  read  the  fu- 
neral service  over  his  grave  by 
torchlight. 

It  was   said    in  Virginia  that 
Braddock   lost    the    victory,    but 
that  Washington's  coolness  and 
courage  saved  the  army.    A  Vir- 
ginia clergyman,  who  preached  on  the  disaster,  said  he  believed 
that  "  Providence  had  saved  Washington  for  some  important  serv- 
ice to  his  country." 

141.  The  Acadians;  Pitt  and  Victory;  Fort  Duquesne  taken; 
the  French  driven  to  Canada.  In  the  course  of  the  next  two 
years  the  English  took  the  French  province  of  New  Brunswick, 
and  drove  many  thousands  of  Acadians,  or  French  inhabitants 
of  Nova  Scotia,  into  exile.    This  act  caused  much  suffering  and 


Braddock's  Defeat 


1  Part  of  Franklin's  plan  was  that  the  colonies  should  have  a  president  appointed  by  the 
crown,  and  a  council  chosen  by  the  people. 


1759]  FALL  OF  QUEBEC  121 

it  seemed  a  cruel  thing  at  the  time,  but  apparently  the  English 
had  to  do  it.1 

William  Pitt,  later  known  as  Lord  Chatham,  had  now  become 
the  chief  councilor  in  the  English  government.  He  was  one  of 
the  truest  friends  that  America  ever  had.  He  sent  fresh  troops 
to  fight  for  the  colonists,  and  the  English  recaptured  and  held 
the  famous  fort  at  Louisburg  (§  135). 

A  second  expedition,  in  which  Colonel  Washington  again  took 
part  (§  140),  attacked  Fort  Duquesne.  The  fort  was  taken  and 
named  Fort  Pitt,  in  honor  of  the  distinguished  statesman  who 
had  made  the  victory  possible.  To-day  we  know  the  place  as 
Pittsburgh,  the  center  of  the  most  extensive  iron  works  in  the 
United  States. 

The  victory  gave  the  English  the  control  of  the  Ohio  country, 
and  drove  the  French  back  to  Canada. 

142.  Fall  of  Quebec  (1759);  Pontiac's  Conspiracy.  The  French 
had  lost  Fort  Frontenac,  now  Kingston,  Canada  (Map.  p.  in), 
but  they  still  held  the  formidable  stronghold  of  Quebec.  This 
fortress  —  the  "Gibraltar  of  America" — was  built  on  a  lofty 
rock,  overlooking  the  St.  Lawrence.  Montcalm,  one  of  the  ablest 
and  noblest  generals  of  France,  was  commander  of  the  fortress. 
General  Wolfe,  an  English  soldier  of  equal  character  and  courage, 
resolved  to  wrest  it  from  him.  He  had  only  a  few  thousand  men, 
a  part  of  whom  were  American  colonists,  but  every  one  of  these 
men  believed  in  him  heart  and  soul.  They  believed,  too,  just  as 
much  in  the  "Hot  Stuff "  which  Wolfe  gave  the  enemy.2 

The  death  struggle  came  when  Wolfe,  with  his  troops,  climbed 
up  from  the  river  to  the  top  of  the  lofty  plain  called  the  Heights 

1  Longfellow  has  made  this  exile  of  the  7000  Acadians  the  subject  of  his  poem  of 
"  Evangeline."  Burke  called  the  expulsion  "  an  inhuman  act,"  but  recent  investigation 
seems  to  show  that  the  English  were  justified  in  driving  out  the  French,  since  they  positively 
refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  England,  and  their  sons  were  secretly  fighting 
against  her  (see  Parkman's  "  Montcalm  and  Wolfe,"  I,  234-284). 

2  Among  the  rousing  battle  songs  sung  by  Wolfe's  men  was  one  about  "  Hot  Stuff,"  which 
began  with  this  appeal : 

"  Come,  each  death-daring  dog  who  dares  venture  his  neck, 
Come,  follow  the  hero  that  goes  to  Quebec  j 


And  ye  that  love  fighting  shall  soon  have  enough  : 

Wolfe  commands  us,  my  boys  ;  we  shall  give  them  '  Hot  Stuff.'' 


122       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1759 


of  Abraham1  and  attacked  the  French  (1759).  In  the  terrible 
battle  both  commanders  found  the  truth  of  the  words,  "The 
paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave,"  2  which  Wolfe  quoted  to 
his  brother  officers  on  the  eve  of  the  contest ;  for  both  were 
killed.  They  met  death  as  only  heroes  can.  The  English  gen- 
eral exclaimed  when  he  heard  that  his  men-  had  gained  the 
hard-fought  field,  "  Now,  God  be  praised,  I  die  in  peace."    The 

French  leader,  when  told  that  he  must 
soon  breathe  his  last,  said,  "  So  much 
the  better ;  I  shall  not  live  to  see  the 
surrender  of  Quebec." 

The  fall  of  Quebec  practically  ended 
the  war ;  but  four  years  later,  Pontiac, 
chief  of  a  tribe  of  Michigan  Indians  and 
friendly  to  the  French,  rose  in  revolt. 
He  formed  a  secret  league  with  other 
tribes,  —  the  Iroquois,  of  New  York 
(§  40),  refusing  to  join,  —  to  drive  the 
English  from  the  whole  Western  coun- 
try. A  young  Indian  girl  betrayed  the 
plot  to  the  commander  of  the  fort  at 
Detroit.  Many  white  settlers  were  mas- 
sacred, but  Pontiac's  attack  failed,  and 
he  himself  was  forced  to  beg  for  peace. 
The  Indians  did  not  make  another  gen- 
eral attempt  to  reconquer  the  land  which 
the  white  man  had  taken  from  them  until  Tecumseh  rose  (§225) 
nearly  fifty  years  later. 

143.  What  the  French  and  Indian  War  settled;  the  Treaty 
of  1763.  The  battle  of  Quebec  was  "one  of  the  great  battles  of 
the  world,"  for  it  marked  a  turning  point  in  American  history. 
When  Wolfe  with  his  brave  men  climbed  in  the  darkness  up  the 
rocky  heights  back  of  that  great  fortress  (1759),  the  whole  West, 

1  The  Heights  of  Abraham  extend  for  three  miles  along  the  St.  Lawrence  southwest  of 
Quebec.   The  French  believed  that  these  Heights  were  inaccessible  from  the  river. 

2  Gray's  "  Elegy  written  in  a  Country  Churchyard,"  1749.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  Wolfe  to 
his  officers,  "  I  would  rather  have  written  those  lines  than  take  Quebec." 


The  English  climbing 

the  Heights  of 

Abraham 


1759-1763]        THE  ENGLISH  AND  FRENCH  WARS  123 

from  Quebec  to  the  Mississippi  and  New  Orleans,  belonged  to 
France.    (Map,  p.  1 1 1 .) 

When  the  sun  went  down  the  following  day,  France  had  lost 
her  hold  on  America  forever.  By  the  treaty  of  peace  of  1763 
the  French  king  gave  to  England  the  whole  of  his  possessions 
on  this  continent.  Of  all  the  magnificent  territory  which  he 
had  owned  on  this  side  the  Atlantic  he  now  had  nothing  left 
except  a  small  portion  of  the  West  Indies,  and  two  little  barren 
islands  (Miquelon  and  St.  Pierre)  off  the  coast  of  southern 
Newfoundland,  which  the  English  permitted  him  to  keep,  to 
dry  fish  on. 

The  war  settled  the  fact  that  America  was  not  to  be  an 
appendage  of  France,  but  was  to  become  the  home  of  the  chief 
part  of  the  English-speaking  race.  Spain  had  owned  Florida  ever 
since  its  discovery  by  Ponce  de  Leon  (§  18).  She  had  fought 
on  the  side  of  France  against  England  :  now  that  France  was 
defeated  Spain  was  forced  to  give  up  Florida  to  Great  Britain, 
who  held  it  for  twenty  years  and  then  ceded  it  back  to  Spain 

(1783). 

Thus  by  the  end  of  1763  the  English  flag  floated  over  the 
whole  eastern  section  of  this  continent,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
great  river  of  the  West,  with  the  single  exception  of  New  Orleans, 
which,  with  the  Louisiana  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi,  France 
had  secretly  transferred  to  Spain. 

Another  result  of  the  treaty  of  1763  was  that  England  (in 
order  to  make  Spain  a  rival  of  France)  now  recognized  Spain's 
claim  to  the  great  province  of  Louisiana.  This  made  the  Missis- 
sippi the  western  boundary  of  the  American  colonies,  so  that 
none  of  them  could  henceforth  claim  territoiy  extending  to  the 
Pacific.    (Maps,  pp.  ill,  168.) 

144.  Results  of  the  Four  English  and  French  Wars.  The  four 
great  wars  between  the  English  and  the  French  in  this  country 
(§§  134-136)  had  decisive  results  : 

1.  They  united  the  inhabitants  of  the  colonies  —  especially 
those  north  of  the  Carolinas  —  and  inspired  them  with  new 
strength. 


124       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1763 

2.  They  trained  thousands  of  resolute  men  in  the  use  of  arms, 
taught  them  to  face  an  enemy,  and  thus  in  a  measure  prepared 
them  for  the  War  of  Independence  not  many  years  distant. 

3.  They  removed  all  danger  of  attack  by  the  French  and  so 
made  the  colonists  feel  less  need  of  British  protection. 

4.  They  cleared  the  ground  east  of  the  Mississippi  of  rival  and 
hostile  forces,  and  left  it  open  for  our  ancestors  to  lay  —  when  the 
right  time  should  come  —  the  corner  stone  of  the  United  States. 


General  State  of  the  Country  in   1763 

145.  The  Thirteen  Colonies  in  1763;  Growth  of  the  Country; 
Number  and  Character  of  the  Population.  The  growth  of  the 
colonies  from  the  first  permanent  English  settlements  in  1607 
(§46)  and  1620  (§73)  to  the  end  of  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  1763  (§  143),  had  been  slow  but  steady.  When  a  gardener 
finds  that  a  healthy  young  plant  shows  but  little  progress,  he 
is  not  discouraged.  He  says  cheerfully,  "  It  is  all  right;  it  is 
making  roots,  and  will  last  the  longer."  For  a  century  and  a 
half  the  colonies  had  been  "making  roots,"  —  getting  that  firm 
hold  so  necessary  for  the  future  growth  of  a  free  and  power- 
ful nation. 

In  1763,  when  England  made  peace  with  France  (§  143), 
the  entire  population  of  the  thirteen  colonies  probably  did  not 
greatly  exceed  half  that  of  New  York  City  now.  Of  this  about 
one  sixth  were  negro  slaves ;  every  colony  had  some,  but  by  far 
the  larger  part  were  owned  south  of  the  Potomac.  The  popu- 
lation was  nearly  all  east  of  the  Alleghenies.  West  of  those 
mountains  the  country  was  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness.  The 
majority  of  the  colonists,  especially  in  Virginia  and  New  Eng- 
land, were  English  or  of  English  descent.  Next  in  number  came 
the  Germans  in  Pennsylvania  (§  119),  the  Dutch  in  New  York 
(§  59),  the  Irish  and  Scotch-Irish  (§  92),  who  had  settled  to 
some  extent  in  all  of  the  colonies,  and  finally,  the  descendants 
of  the  Huguenots,  or  French  Protestants,  most  numerous  in  South 
Carolina  (§  115). 


1763]  LANGUAGE  125 

146.  Language ;  Religion ;  Social  Rank ;  Cities ;  Trade.  Nearly 
all  of  the  colonists  spoke  English,  and  nearly  all  were  Protes- 
tants.1 Most  of  them  had  sprung  from  the  same  social  class  in 
the  mother  country.  A  witty  Frenchman  of  that  day  said  that 
the  people  of  England  reminded  him  of  a  barrel  of  their  own 
beer  —  froth  on  the  top,  dregs  at  the  bottom,  but  clear  and 
sound  in  the  middle.  That  energetic,  industrious,  self-respecting 
middle  class  furnished  the  greater  part  of  the  emigrants  to  this 
country. 

In  none  of  the  colonies  was  there  a  titled  aristocracy  holding 
land  and  established  by  law,  as  in  Europe.  In  Virginia,  how- 
ever, the  great  plantations  were  usually  handed  down  to  the  eldest 
son,  after  the  English  fashion.  America  had  men  of  intelligence 
and  wealth,  but  no  lords  ;  she  had  learned  and  influential  clergy- 
men, but,  outside  of  certain  royal  provinces  (§  147),  she  had 
no  bishops. 

Philadelphia,  New  York,  Boston,  and  Charleston  were  the 
chief  cities,  yet  even  Philadelphia,  then  the  largest,  had  only 
about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  not  one  of  these  cities 
published  a  daily  paper  and  did  not  until  more  than  twenty 
years  later.2 

The  foreign  trade  of  the  country  was  prosperous.  The  South 
exported  tobacco,  rice,  indigo,  tar,  and  turpentine ;  the  North, 
fish,  lumber,  furs,  and  iron.  New  England  built  and  sold  so 
many  sailing  vessels  that  the  ship  carpenters  of  Great  Britain 
complained  that  the  Americans  were  ruining  their  business. 

Manufactories  were  comparatively  few.  England  treated  her 
colonies  in  a  broader  and  more  generous  spirit  than  any  other 
nation  in  Europe,  but  she  wished,  so  far  as  practicable,  to  com- 
pel the  Americans  to  buy  all  their  goods  from  her.  On  this 
account  she  endeavored  to  prevent  them  from  weaving  a  yard  of 
fine  woolen  cloth,  casting  an  iron  pot,  or  printing  a  copy  of  the 

1  The  greatest  number  of  Catholics  were  in  Maryland ;  there  they  may  have  constituted 
a  fifteenth  of  the  population. 

2  The  Boston  News  Letter,  1704  (weekly),  was  the  first  regular  newspaper  published  in 
America.  The  American  Daily  Advertiser,  Philadelphia,  1784,  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  daily. 


126       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1763 

Bible.  Furthermore,  England  passed  laws,  like  the  Navigation 
Acts  (§  54),  to  compel  the  colonists  to  confine  all  their  most  profit- 
able commerce  to  English  ports.  On  the  other  hand,  England 
paid  the  colonists  liberal  premiums  or  bounties  for  exporting  such 
products  as  indigo,  and  "  naval  stores  "  such  as  hemp,  tar,  pitch, 
turpentine,  rosin,  and  masts  for  vessels.  Besides  this  England 
bought  all  the  tobacco  they  wanted  to  sell  and  also  purchased 
a  good  deal  of  their  iron.  The  people  of  this  country  did  not 
openly  dispute  the  right,  or  supposed  right,  of  the  mother  country 
to  restrict  their  trade ;  but  they  smuggled  goods,  especially  tea, 
wines,  silks,  and  other  luxuries,  from  Europe ;  and  the  custom- 
house officers  at  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  Boston  winked  at 
the  landing  of  such  articles. 

147.  Government  of  the  Colonies;  Law;  Unity  of  the  People. 
The  colonies  did  not  all  have  the  same  form  of  government. 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  held  charters,  by  which  they  prac- 
tically managed  their  own  affairs  in  their  own  way.  Eight  of  the 
remaining  colonies  were  royal  provinces  *  ruled  by  governors  ap- 
pointed by  the  King  ;  the  three  others,  Pennsylvania  with  Delaware 
(§  120)  and  Maryland  (§  100),  were  governed  by  their  proprietors, 
the  descendants  of  William  Penn  and  of  Lord  Baltimore. 

All  the  colonies  had  legislative  assemblies  elected  by  the  people  ; 
by  means  of  these  assemblies  they  levied  their  own  taxes  and  had 
the  chief  voice  in  making  their  own  laws.2  In  New  England  all 
matters  of  public  interest  were  openly  and  fearlessly  discussed  in 
town  meeting ;  in  Virginia,  county  meetings  were  held  occasion- 
ally for  the  same  purpose.  Every  white  man  in  the  thirteen  colo- 
nies had  the  right  to  trial  by  jury  and  to  the  protection  given  by 
the  common  law  of  England  (§  44). 

The  colonists,  though  loyal  to  the  King,  were  full  of  sturdy 
independence  of  character.  Some. of  them  adopted  a  flag  (1775) 
on  which  was  a  rattlesnake  coiled  ready  to  strike,  and  the  words, 

1  Massachusetts  had  a  charter,  but  could  make  only  such  laws  as  her  Governor,  appointed 
by  the  King,  saw  fit  to  approve. 

2  The  laws  enacted  by  the  colonial  assemblies  required  the  Governor's  approval,  except 
in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut,  where  the  people  elected  the  Governor  and  could  legis- 
late, if  they  chose,  without  his  consent. 


1763] 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  FARMERS 


127 


"Don't  tread  on  me";  that  flag  expressed  what  their  real 
spirit  had  always  been.  Though  there  was  but  little  communi- 
cation between  the  colonies,  yet  they  were  essentially  one  peo- 
ple,—  they  spoke  the  same  language,  they  appealed  for  justice 
to  the  same  general  law,  they  held,  with  some  few  exceptions, 
the  same  religion. 

148.  Life  among  the  Farmers.  Few  of  the  colonists  were  very 
rich ;  fewer  still  were  miserably  poor.  The  mass  of  the  people 
lived  simply  but  comfortably.  The  farmhouses  were  generally 
built  of  huge  timbers  covered  with  rough,  unpainted  clapboards, 
often  with  the  upper  story  projecting,  so  that  in  case  of  an  attack 
by  Indians  the  owner  could 
fire  down  on  the  savages  and 
give  them  a  reception  they 
would  remember. 

Usually  the  center  of  such 
houses  was  taken  up  by  an 
immense  open  fireplace,  so 
big  that  it  was  a  fair  ques- 
tion whether  the  chimney 
was  built  for  the  house  or 
the  house  for  the  chimney. 
On  a  stormy  winter's  night 
there  was  no  more  cheerful  sight  than  such  a  fireplace  piled  up 
with  blazing  logs,  around  which  our  forefathers  and  their  sturdy 
families  sat  contentedly,  watching  the  flames  as  they  leaped  up 
the  chimney.1  But  these  roaring  fires  meant  work.  During  the 
day  the  woodchopper  seemed  to  hear  them  forever  crying  "  More, 
more,"  and  if  by  ill  chance  they  went  out  at  night,  there  were 
no  matches  to  rekindle  them.  That  had  to  be  done  by  striking 
a  spark  with  flint  and  steel,  catching  it  on  a  bit  of  old  half- 
burnt  rag,  and  then  blowing  that  spark  to  a  flame.  If  we  are 
tempted  to  envy  our  ancestors  their  cosy  winter  evenings,  probably 
few  would  envy  them  their  winter  mornings  in  case  the  fire  failed 
to  keep  over. 

1  Read  the  description  of  such  a  fireside  in  Whittier's  delightful  poem  of  "  Snow-Bound." 


A  Farmer's  Fireside 


128       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1763 


~«*C 


The  cooking  was  done  either  over  or  before  these  open  fires,  or 
in  huge  brick  ovens.  The  food  was  very  simple,  —  often  nothing 
more  than  corn-meal  mush  with  molasses  for  breakfast,  —  but 
there  was  plenty  of  it,  and  no  lack  of  healthy  appetite. 

The   farmer   bought    little  at  the    store.    He  raised  his    own 
food ;  his  sheep  furnished  wool,  and  his  wife  and  daughters  spun 
and  wove  it  into  stout  "  homespun  "  cloth.    In  such  households 
there  were  few  idle  days,  but  many  happy  ones  ;  and  for  recre- 
ation the  young  people  had  sleighing  par- 
ties, husking  bees,1  general  trainings,2  and 
other  merrymakings. 

149.  Life  in  the  Cities  and  on  the  Great 
Virginia  Plantations.  In  the  cities  and  large 
towns,  and  on  the  great  plantations  at  the 
South,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  luxury. 
Rich  men  like  Washington,  who  was  one 
of  the  wealthiest  landholders  in  the  coun- 
try, sometimes  lived  in  stately  mansions, 
furnished  with  solid  oak  and  mahogany  im- 
ported from  England.  Their  tables  shone 
with  silver  plate  and  sparkled  with  costly 
A  Virginia  Planter's  wines.  They  owned  their  black  servants  in- 
stead of  hiring  them.  Gentlemen,  when  in 
full  dress,  wore  three-cornered  cocked  hats,  long  velvet  coats, 
lace  ruffles  at  their  wrists,  knee  breeches,3  white  silk  stockings, 
and  shoes  with  silver  buckles.  They  kept  their  hair  long,  pow- 
dered it  white,  and  tied  it  back  in  a  twist  or  a  queue  with  a  black 
silk  ribbon. 

Ladies  wore  gowns  of  brocade4  and  rich  silk  almost  stiff 
enough  to  stand  alone.    They  also  powdered  their  hair,  so  that 

1  Husking  bees :  at  these  gatherings  the  young  people  met  to  husk  corn ;  there  was 
usually  quite  as  much  fun  as  work  on  such  occasions. 

2  General  trainings  :  meetings  for  military  drill.  They  occurred  once  or  twice  a  year,  and 
were  regarded  as  holidays. 

8  Knee  breeches :  breeches  coming  down  to  the  knees ;  before  the  introduction  of  trousers 
they  were  worn  by  men  of  all  classes. 

4  Brocade :  cloth  or  stuff  richly  embroidered  with  raised  flowers  or  other  figures  in  silk 
or  gold  and  silver  thread. 


1763]  LIFE  IN  THE  COLONIES  129 

all  people  of  fashion,  whether  young  or  old,  looked  stately  and 
venerable. 

In  general,  life  moved  in  somewhat  the  same  stately  way : 
there  was  no  hurrying  to  catch  trains,  no  rush  and  scramble  for 
electric  cars,  no  flashing  of  telegrams  from  one  end  of  the  coun- 
try to  the  other,  no  newsboys  shouting  daily  papers,  no  instan- 
taneous photographs,  no  pushing  and  hustling  in  overcrowded 
streets.  On  Sunday  every  one,  or  practically  every  one,  went  to 
church ;  and,  in  New  England,  if  a  man  was  absent  the  minister 
of  the  parish  told  him,  in  a  way  that  could  not  be  mistaken,  that 
he  must  know  the  reason  why. 

150.  Travel;  Letters;  Hospitality;  Severe  Laws.  People  sel- 
dom traveled.  When  they  did,  they  generally  preferred  going  by 
water  if  possible,  in  order  to  avoid  the  bad  roads.  But  as  such 
traveling  was  wholly  in  sailing  vessels,  the  time  when  a  man 
reached  his  destination  depended  alto- 
gether on  the  wind,  and  the  wind  made 
no  promises.  Knowing  this  fact,  some 
chose  to  go  by  land.    To  accommodate 

these  venturesome  people  a  lumbering       ™       *  .,  „ 

r     l  &         The  "Flying  Machine" 

covered  wagon  ran  once  a  week  be- 
tween New  York  and  Philadelphia,  traveling  at  the  rate  of  about 
three  miles  an  hour.  Later  (1766),  an  enterprising  individual  put 
on  a  wagon  which  actually  made  the  trip  of  ninety  miles  in  two 
days.  On  account  of  its  speed  it  was  advertised  as  the  "  Flying 
Machine";  the  cheaper  conveyances,  which  did  not  Mfly,"  took 
a  day  longer  to  make  the  journey.  In  the  wet  season  of  the  year 
the  passengers  often  worked  their  passage  as  well  as  paid  for  it, 
for  they  were  frequently  called  on  to  get  out  and  pry  the  wagon 
out  of  the  mud  with  fence  rails.  Sometimes  a  wheel  gave  out  and 
the  wagon  stuck  fast. 

The  expense  of  carrying  the  mails  made  postage  so  high  that 
but  few  letters  were  written.  These  were  rarely  prepaid ;  and  as  a 
charge  of  twenty-five  cents  on  a  single  letter  was  not  very  uncom- 
mon, most  persons  preferred  that  their  friends  should  think  of 
them  often  but  write  to  them  seldom. 


130       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY 


[17G3 


Yet  if  people  rarely  wrote  to  each  other  and  traveled  but  little, 
they  were  quite  sure  of  being  hospitably  entertained  along  the 
way  when  they  did  venture  from  home.  This  was  especially  the 
case  in  Virginia. 

The  rich  planters  in  that  section  considered  a  guest  a  prize. 
He  brought  the  latest  news  and  the  newest  gossip.  It  was  no 
strange  thing  for  a  planter  to  send  out  one  of  his  negroes  to 
station  himself  by  the  roadside  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  some 
respectable-looking  stranger  on  horseback.  Then  the  servant,  smil- 
ing and  bowing,  begged  him  to  turn  aside  and  stop  over  night 

at  his  master's  mansion.  There 
he  was  sure  to  be  treated  to  the 
best  there  was  in  the  house  ;  and 
as  no  temperance  society  had  then 
come  into  existence,  the  best,  both 
North  and  South,  always  meant 
plenty  to  drink  as  well  as  plenty 
to  eat,  followed  perhaps  by  a  fox 
hunt,  or  some  other  sport,  the 
next  day. 

But  if  the  times  were  hospit- 
able, they  were  also  somewhat 
rough  and  even  brutal.  A  trifling 
offense  would  often  send  a  man 
to  the  stocks  for  meditation,  and 
something  more  serious  to  the 
pillory,  where  the  passers-by  might  stop  to  pelt  him  with  a  hand- 
ful of  mud,  a  rotten  apple,  or  something  worse.  Imprisonment 
for  debt  was  a  common  occurrence ;  petty  thieves  and  disorderly 
persons  were  publicly  whipped,  while  men  guilty  of  highway  rob- 
bery or  murder  were  paraded  through  the  principal  streets  and 
then  hanged  before  the  crowd. 

151.  Education;  Books;  Jonathan  Edwards  and  Benjamin 
Franklin.  Most  of  the  colonists,  especially  in  New  England, 
where  free  schools  had  long  been  established  by  law  (§  80), 
could  read  and  write  fairly  well ;  and  a  small  number,  particularly 


how  they  spent  their  tlme 

in  the  Pillory  and  in 

the  Stocks 


17G3]  FRANKLIN'S   ELECTRICAL  EXPERIMENTS  131 

clergymen,  were  highly  educated.  Very  few  books  were  published, 
but  the  rich  imported  a  stock  of  the  best  English  authors,  and, 
what  is  more,  they  read  them. 

The  two  ablest  American  writers  of  that  day  were  the  Rev. 
Jonathan  Edwards  of  Connecticut,  who  later  became  a  resident 
of  Massachusetts,  and  Benjamin  Franklin,  born  in  Boston,  but 
who  soon  became  a  citizen  of  Philadelphia.  Edwards  wrote  his 
great  work  "  On  the  Freedom  of  the  Will "  for  that  small  number 
of  readers  who  like  a  book  which  forces  them  to  think  as  well  as 
read.  Not  many  can  grasp  Edwards's  thought  about  the  "Will," 
but  we  can  all  understand  how  nobly  he  used  his  own  will  when 
he  made  these  two  resolutions  :  (1)  "To  do  whatever  I  think  to  be 
my  duty."    (2)  "  To  live  with  all  my  might  zvhile  I  do  live." 

Franklin's  best  known  work  was  his  Almanac,  commonly  called 
"  Poor  Richard's  Almanac,"1  which  he  published  for  many  years. 
It  was  full  of  shrewd,  practical  wit  and  wisdom,  and  it  suited 
a  hard-working  people.  Men  who  had  begun  life  with  no  help 
but  such  as  they  got  from  their  own  hands  and  their  own  brains 
liked  to  read  such  sayings  as  these:  " Diligence  is  the  mother 
of  good  luck."  "He  that  can  have  patience  can  have  what  he 
will."  "Heaven  helps  those  who  help  themselves."  Thousands 
of  young  men  learned  these  maxims  by  heart,  put  them  in  prac- 
tice, and  found  their  reward  in  the  prosperity  and  independence 
to  which  they  led. 

152.  Franklin's  Electrical  Experiments.  But  Franklin  did  not 
confine  himself  to  writing ;  he  was  also  greatly  interested  in  scien- 
tific experiments.  Everybody  has  noticed  that  the  fur  of  a  cat's 
back,  when  stroked  vigorously  the  wrong  way  on  a  winter's  night, 
will  send  out  a  multitude  of  electric  sparks.  Franklin,  who  never 
minded  the  cat's  claws,  asked  himself,  Are  these  sparks  the  same 
as  the  flashes  of  lightning  seen  in  a  thundershower  ?  He  resolved 
to  find  out.  To  do  this  he  sent  up  a  kite  during  a  shower,  and  fast- 
ened a  door  key  near  the  end  of  the  string.    Touching  his  knuckle 

1  Because  Franklin  represents  a  curious  old  fellow,  whom  he  calls  "  Poor  Richard," 
as  uttering  the  sayings  which  made  the  almanac  famous.  Franklin  later  wrote  his  "  Auto- 
biography."   See  Montgomery  and  Trent's  "  Franklin"  [Ginn  and  Company], 


132       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1607-1763 

to  the  key,  he  got  an  electric  spark  from  it.  This,  and  other  ex- 
periments, convinced  him  that  his  conjecture  was  right ;  electricity 
and  lightning,  said  he,  are  one  and  the  same  thing. 

That  discovery,  simple  as  it  now  seems,  made  Franklin  famous. 
When  he  went  to  England  on  business  for  the  colonies  he  needed 
no  introduction,  —  everybody  had  heard  of  the  American  who 
had  found  the  lt  key  to  the  clouds  "  and  to  electrical  science  as 
well.  Even  George  III,  though  he  heartily  hated  Franklin  for 
his  independent  spirit,  actually  put  up  a  bungling  kind  of  Franklin 
lightning  rod  —  one  with  a  ball  instead  of  a  point  —  on  his  palace 
in  London. 

To-day  we  light  our  cities,  propel  our  street  cars,  some  of  our 
motor  cars,  the  trolleys  on  our  great  network  of  electric  roads, 
drive  machinery  of  various  kinds,  ring  our  fire  alarms,  and  send 
our  messages  across  continents,  under  oceans,  and  through  the 
air,  by  this  mysterious  power.  We  owe  the  practical  beginning 
of  much  of  this  to  Franklin.  He  said,  "  There  are  no  bounds  .  .  . 
to  the  force  man  may  raise  and  use  in  the  electrical  way."  In 
view  of  what  is  now  being  done  in  this  "  electrical  way,"  the 
words  of  the  Philadelphia  printer,  philosopher,  and  statesman  — 
written  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago  —  read  like  a  prophecy. 

153.  General  Summary.  The  thirteen  colonies  were  settled, 
mainly  by  the  English,  between  1607  and  1733, — Virginia  was 
the  first  colony  founded  (1607),  Massachusetts  the  second  (Plym- 
outh, 1620;  Boston,  1630),  Georgia  (1733)  the  last.  During  the 
closing  seventy  years  of  this  period  (1689-1763)  the  colonists 
were  engaged  nearly  half  of  the  time  in  wars  with  the  French  of 
Canada,  who  claimed  the  West  by  right  of  exploration. 

In  these  wars  many  Indian  tribes  (but  not  the  Iroquois  of 
New  York)  fought  for  the  French.  The  colonists,  with  the  aid  of 
England,  gained  the  victory,  and  thus  obtained  possession  of  the 
country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi.  Up  to  that  time 
(1763)  the  people  had  been  growing  in  prosperity,  in  intelligence, 
and  in  the  determination  to  maintain  all  those  rights  which  the 
King  had  originally  granted  them  .by  his  written  charters,  and  to 
which,  as  English  colonists,  they  were  justly  entitled  (§  44). 


Benjamin  Franklin 


'33 


IV 

"  Resolved,  That  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be, 
free  and  independent  states."  —  Motiott  made  in  the  Continental  Con- 
gress at  Philadelphia,  June  7*  1776,  by  Richard  Henry  Lee  of  Virginia, 
seconded  by  John  Adams  of  Massachusetts. 

THE   REVOLUTION  •  THE  CONSTITUTION1 

(1763-1789) 

THE  COLONISTS  RESIST  TAXATION  WITHOUT  REPRESENTATION,  1764-1775  • 
THEY  MAKE  WAR  AGAINST  ENGLAND  IN  DEFENSE  OF  THEIR  RIGHTS 
AS  ENGLISH  SUBJECTS,  1775-JULY  4,  1776  •  THEY  DECLARE  THEM- 
SELVES INDEPENDENT,  JULY  4,   1776  •  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES  ADOPT  THE  CONSTITUTION,   1787-1788 

154.  American  Commerce;  the  New  King,  George  III;  how  he 
interfered  with  Trade.  Up  to  the  close  of  the  war  by  which  Eng- 
land had  compelled  the  French  to  give  up  their  hold  on  America 
(1763)  the  people  of  this  country  had  prospered.  During  that 
war  (§  143),  and  for  a  long  time  before  it,  the  laws  which  for- 
bade the  colonists  to  trade  with  any  country  except  Great  Britain 
(§§  54,  146)  had  not  been  enforced.  The  New  Englanders  had 
made  a  great  deal  of  money  by  trading  with  the  French  and  the 

1  Reference  Books.  {The  Revolution.)  A.  B.  Hart's  "Formation  of  the  Union," 
ch.  3-4  ;  G.  E.  Howard's  "  Preliminaries  of  the  Revolution,"  ch.  3-18  ;  C.  H.  Van 
Tyne's  "  The  American  Revolution,"  ch.  1-17  ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "  American  History  by 
Contemporaries,"  II,  ch.  21-35;  A.  B.  Hart's  "Source  Book,"  ch.  9;  J.  Fiske's 
"War  of  Independence,"  ch.  4-^8  ;  H.  C.  Lodge's"  The  Story  of  the  Revolution," 
2  vols. ;  W.  C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "  United  States  "  (revised  edition),  III,  ch.  13-24; 
IV,  ch.  1-4. 

{The  Articles  of  Confederation  and  the  Constitution.)  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Formation 
of  the  Union,"  ch.  5-7  ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "  American  History  by  Contemporaries," 
III,  ch.  6-12;  A.  B.  Hart's  "Source  Book,"  ch.  10;  A.  C.  McLaughlin's  "The 
Confederation  and  the  Constitution,"  ch.  3-18  ;  J.  Fiske's  "  The  Critical  Period  of 
American  History,"  ch.  3-7  ;  W.  C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "  United  States  "  (revised  edi- 
tion), IV,  ch.  5  ;  J.  B.  McMaster's  "  United  States,"  I,  pp.  436-502  ;  J.  Schouler's 
"  United  States,"  I,  ch.  1.    See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books  in  the  Appendix. 

134 


1763]    THE  KING  PROPOSES  TO  TAX  THE  COLONIES    135 

Spanish  West  Indies  —  sending  them  lumber  and  fish,  and  bring- 
ing back  molasses  and  sugar  from  the  French  islanders,  and  kegs 
of  silver  dollars  from  the  Spaniards. 

The  new  king,  George  III  (1760),  resolved  to  enforce  the 
English  laws  and  so  break  up  this  profitable  commerce.  He 
was  conscientious  but  narrow-minded,  obstinate,  and  at  times 
crazy.1  He  stationed  ships  of  war  along  the  American  coast  to 
stop  trade  with  the  French  and  the  Spaniards  with  whom  Eng- 
land was  at  war.  Moreover,  in  Boston  and  other  large  towns, 
the  King's  officers,  armed  with  general  warrants  called  "  Writs 
of  Assistance,"  began  to  break  into  men's  houses  and  shops 
and  search  them  for  smuggled  goods.2  They  did  not  ask  for 
proof  of  guilt ;  they  entered  and  searched  when  and  where  they 
pleased.  New  England  saw  her  trade  broken  up.  It  began  to 
look  as  though  the  King  meant  to  ruin  every  merchant  and  ship- 
builder in  the  country.  James  Otis,3  of  Boston,  made  a  power- 
ful speech  against  these  "Writs  of  Assistance,"  but  his  appeal 
was  in  vain. 

155.  The  King  proposes  to  tax  the  Colonies;  Object  of  the 
Tax;  Protest  of  the  Americans.  This,  however,  was  only  the 
beginning  of  evil.  The  cost  of  the  late  war  with  France  (§  143) 
had  been  enormous,  and  English  taxpayers  protested  against  pay- 
ing out  more  money.  But  the  King  determined  to  send  at  least 
ten  thousand  troops  to  America,  to  protect,  as  he  said,  the  colonies 
against  the  Indians  and  the  French. 

In  order  to  raise  money  to  pay  these  soldiers,  whom  the  Ameri- 
cans did  not  want,  George  III  proposed  an  entirely  new  measure 
—  that  was  to  levy  a  direct  tax  on  the  people  of  this  country. 

1  The  King  had  his  first  attack  of  insanity  —  a  mild  one  —  in  1765,  while  the  Stamp  Act 
was  under  discussion.  In  1788  he  felt  that  his  mind  was  seriously  affected;  bursting  into 
tears,  he  exclaimed  that  w  he  wished  to  God  he  might  die,  for  he  was  going  mad."  He  soon 
became  so. 

2  In  an  ordinary  search  warrant  the  person  applying  to  the  magistrate  for  it  must  swear 
that  he  has  good  reason  for  suspecting  the  person  he  accuses,  and  must  have  the  name  of 
the  accused  person,  and  no  other,  inserted  in  the  warrant.  In  the  case  of  the  "  Writs  of 
Assistance  "  the  officers  wrote  any  name  they  pleased  in  the  warrants,  and  then  entered  and 
rummaged  the  man's  house  from  attic  to  cellar.   Sometimes  this  was  done  purely  out  of  spite. 

8  Otis  held  the  office  of  advocate  general  under  the  King,  but  he  resigned  that  office  in 
order  to  attack  the  King's  "  Writs  of  Assistance." 


136       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1765 


The  colonists  believed  that  according  to  the  principles  of 
English  law  the  King  had  no  right  to  demand  his  people's 
money  except  by  consent  of  the  men  whom  they  should  elect 
to  represent  them  in  Parliament.1  The  Americans  had  no  such 
representatives,  and,  what  is  more,  they  were  not  permitted  to 
send  any.  For  this  reason  they  protested  against  the  tax.  The 
best  men  in  Parliament  —  such  men  as  William  Pitt  (§141) 
and  Edmund  Burke  —  took  the  side  of  the  colonists.2  Burke 
said  that  if  the  King  undertook  to  tax  the  Americans  against 
their  will,  he  would  find  it  as  hard  a  job  as  the  farmer  did  who 
tried  to  shear  a  wolf  instead  of  a  sheep. 
156.  The  Stamp  Act  proposed.  But  the 
King  thought  that  the  Americans  were  like 
lambs  and  that  they  would  stand  any  amount 
of  shearing  without  once  showing  their  teeth. 
Accordingly  Parliament  made  ready  to  pass 
the  Stamp  Act. 

The  proposed  act  required  that  the  col- 
onists should  use  stamps  —  resembling  our 
postage  stamps  —  on  all  important  law  and 
business  papers,  and  also  on  pamphlets  and 
newspapers.  The  stamps  cost  all  the  way  from  a  half -penny 
(one  cent)  up  to  ten  pounds  (fifty  dollars).  Such  a  law,  if  en- 
forced, would  tax  everybody  in  spite  of  himself ;  for  every  one 
would  have  to  pay  that  tax  when  he  bought  a  newspaper  or  an 
almanac,  took  out  a  policy  of  insurance  on  his  house,  or  made 
his  will. 

157.  The  Colonists  resist  the  Stamp  Act;  the  Stamp  Act  Con- 
gress, 1765.  Benjamin  Franklin  (§  151),  who  was  in  London  as 
agent  for  the  colonies  when  the  Stamp  Act  was  under  discus- 
sion, fought  against  it  with  all  his  might,  but  he  said  he  might 
as  well  have  tried  to  stop   the    sun  from    setting.    In    Boston, 


British  Stamp 


1  The  British  Parliament,  which  sits  in  London,  is  to  England  what  Congress  is  to  the 
United  States.  It  is  a  law  that  no  tax  shall  be  levied  on  the  British  people  except  by 
members  of  Parliament  elected  by  the  people  as  their  representatives. 

2  Pitt  thought  it  was  not  right  to  tax  America ;  Burke  thought  it  was  not  wise  to 
do  so. 


1765] 


THE  STAMP  ACT 


137 


Samuel  Adams,  the  "  Father  of  the  Revolution,"  *  denounced 
the  proposed  act  at  a  town  meeting  held  in  Fanueil  Hall  —  the 
"  Cradle  of  Liberty,"  as  it  was  called.  But  Parliament  passed 
the  law  in  1765. 

Then  the  indignation  of  the  American  colonists  blazed  out 
in  an  unmistakable  manner.  In  the  Virginia  Assembly  Patrick 
Henry2  made  a  speech  which 
fired  all  hearts,  and  moved  that 
body  to  take  decisive  action.  The 
Assembly  boldly  resolved  that  it 
would  not  obey  any  act  of  Parlia- 
ment which  forced  the  people  to 
give  money  to  the  English  gov- 
ernment without  their  consent 
(§155).  In  his  speech  against  the  Tpn 
"Writs  of  Assistance  "  James  Otis 
(§  154)  had  declared,  "Taxation 
without  representation  (§155)  is 
tyranny."  Finally,  delegates  from 
nine  of  the  colonies  met  in  New 
York  in  the  "  Stamp  Act  Con- 
gress"  (1765). 

That  Congress  drew  up  a  Dec- 
laration of  Rights  which  said  : 

1 .  The  American  colonists  possess  the  same  rights  as  all  othet 
British  subjects  in  England  (§44). 

2.  But  they  are  not  represented  in  the  English  Parliament, 
therefore  Parliament  has  no  power  to  tax  them.  When  the  hated 
stamps  came  the  people  destroyed  them,  and  even  the  boys  shouted, 
"  Liberty,  property,  and  no  stamps  !  "  Many  leading  citizens  now 
pledged  themselves  not  to  buy  any  more  English  goods  until  the 
hated  Stamp  Act  was  repealed. 

1  Samuel  Adams,  one  of  the  great  leaders  of  the  Revolution,  was  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts House  of  Representatives.  It  was  said  that  he  had  the  most  "radical  love"  of  liberty  of  any 
member  of  that  House ;  he  declared  (i  769) , "  Independent  we  are,  and  independent  we  will  be." 

2  Patrick  Henry  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature.  He  was  an  orator 
of  marvelous  power  and  he  always  spoke  on  the  side  of  liberty. 


Faneuil  Hall,  the  "  Cradle  of 

Liberty,"  as  it  appeared 

in  1765 


138       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1766-1767 

158.  Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act;  the  Declaratory  Act;  the 
"Boston  Massacre";  Destruction  of  the  Gaspee.  When  news  of 
these  vigorous  proceedings  reached  London,  William  Pitt  (§  155) 
said  in  Parliament :  "In  my  opinion,  this  kingdom  has  no  right 
to  lay  a  tax  on  the  colonies.  ...  I  rejoice  that  America  has 
resisted."  The  Stamp  Act  was  speedily  repealed  (1766).  Parlia- 
ment, however,  put  a  sting  in  its  repeal,  for  it  passed  a  Declara- 
tory Act,  maintaining  that  the  British  government  had  the  right 
to  bind  the  colonies  "  in  all  cases  whatsoever."  The  Americans 
did  not  then  see  just  what  that  declaration  meant. 

They  saw  it,  however,  when  the  King  sent  troops  to  be  quar- 
tered here  at  the  expense  of  the  people.  New  York  promptly 
refused  to  pay  the  bill.  Later,  General  Gage,  the  British  com- 
mander at  New  York,  came  to  Boston  with  two  regiments  (1768). 
He  quartered  his  troops  in  the  very  center  of  the  town,  and  they 
had  frequent  quarrels  with  the  citizens. 

Finally  (1770),  a  fight  occurred  in  which  the  soldiers  fired,  in 
self-defense,  and  killed  several  of  the  people.  This  was  called 
the  "  Boston  Massacre  ";  the  citizens  never  forgot  or  forgave  the 
blood  stains  then  made  on  the  snow  of  King  Street.1  Later,  that 
feeling  showed  itself  in  the  destruction  by  the  Rhode  Islanders 
of  the  Gaspee,  an  armed  British  vessel  stationed  off  the  coast 
to  prevent  smuggling. 

159.  The  New  Taxes;  the  "Boston  Tea  Party."  The  repeal 
of  the  Stamp  Act  (§  158)  was  followed  by  the  passage  of  the 
Townshend  Acts  (1767).  These  acts  imposed  import  duties  on 
window  glass,  paper,  paints,  and  tea,  —  all  articles  which  Parlia- 
ment believed  the  colonists  could  not  do  without. 

The  two  main  objects  of  these  new  taxes  were : 

1 .  To  pay  the  soldiers  sent  here  by  the  King. 

2.  To  pay  the  governors,  judges,  and  other  officers  of  the 
crown  in  the  colonies  and  so  make  them  entirely  dependent  on 
the  King  and  ready  to  do  his  will. 

1  King  Street,  now  State  Street.  The  soldiers  were  tried  for  murder ;  John  Adams  and 
Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  defended  them.  All  but  two  were  acquitted.  They  were  con- 
victed of  manslaughter  and  branded  in  the  hand  in  open  court 


76°  Longitude 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR 
IN  THE   NORTH 


SCALE  OF  MILES 


SCALE  OF    MILES 


1773]  THE  "BOSTON  TEA  PARTY"  139 

The  Americans  generally  looked  upon  the  Townshend  Acts 
as  a  trap  to  get  their  money.  Many  merchants  throughout  the 
colonies  refused  to  import  any  of  the  taxed  articles.  Others,  like 
Samuel  Adams  (§  157),  bound  themselves  "to  eat  nothing,  drink 
nothing,  wear  nothing  "  imported  from  England  until  all  the  duties 
on  goods  should  be  taken  off. 

Finally,  Parliament  decided  to  take  off  all  the  Townshend  duties 
or  taxes  except  one  of  a  few  cents  a  pound  on  tea.  This  duty 
was  retained  to  show  that  England  meant  to  tax  the  colonies 
without  their  consent.  The  price  of  the  tea  was  put  so  low  that 
the  Americans  could  buy  it,  even  with  the  tax  on  it,  cheaper  than 
they  could  smuggle  it  from  Holland. 

But  the  colonists  declared  that  they  would  not  take  the  tea, 
even  as  a  gift,  if  any  tax  whatever  was  demanded.  None  the 
less  cargoes  of  tea  were  dispatched  (1773)  from  London  to  New 
York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Annapolis,  and  Charleston. 

In  only  one  instance  —  that  of  Charleston  —  were  the  vessels 
allowed  to  land  the  tea,  and  then  it  was  left  to  spoil.  At  Phila- 
delphia a  committee  told  the  captains  of  the  tea  ships  that  they 
would  tar  and  feather  them  if  they  did  not  turn  back.  At  New 
York  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty "  took  action  just  as  decided.  At 
Annapolis  the  Maryland  people  actually  compelled  the  owner  of 
the  tea  ship  Peggy  Stewart  to  burn  his  vessel,  tea  and  all. 

Meanwhile,  the  case  which  caused  the  greatest  excitement 
occurred  at  Boston.  Three  tea  ships  came  into  the  harbor,  but 
the  people  refused  to  let  them  unload  their  cargoes.  The  Gov- 
ernor would  not  let  them  go  back  until  they  were  unloaded,  and 
the  people,  under  the  lead  of  Samuel  Adams  (§  157),  made  up 
their  minds  to  do  the  unloading  in  their  own  way.  An  immense 
meeting  was  held  in  the  Old  South  Meeting  House  in  regard 
to  the  matter,  but  nothing  could  be  done.  That  night  a  band 
of  citizens  disguised  as  Indians  rushed  down  to  the  wharf  and 
emptied  every  chest  of  tea  —  nearly  $100,000  worth  —  into  the 
harbor.  A  Bostonian  had  jokingly  asked,  "  Will  tea  mix  with 
salt  water  ? "  The  patriots  settled  that  question  and  the  tax  at 
the  same  time. 


140       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1774 


1 60.  Parliament  closes  the  Port  of  Boston  and  places  a 
Military  Governor  over  the  People;  the  First  Continental  Con- 
gress, 1774;  Action  of  Massachusetts;  the  "  Minutemen";  the 
Tories.  When  Parliament  heard  of  the  destruction  of  the  tea 
at  Boston,  the  wrath  of  the  King's  party  rose  to  white  heat. 

1 .  They  closed  the  port  of  Boston 
1774)  to  all  trade  until  the  people 
should  pay  for  the  tea, 
and  make  humble  sub- 
mission to  the  King. 

2.  They  took  the 
government  entirely 
out  of  the  hands  of  the 
people  and  put  the  col- 
ony under  the  rule  of 
General  Gage  (§  158). 
Parliament  enacted  two 
other  arbitrary  meas- 
ures 1  which  completed 
what  the  Americans 
called  the  four  "  In- 
tolerable Acts." 

Patrick  Henry  of 
Virginia  (§  157)  was  so 
indignant  at  the  treat- 
ment which  Massachu- 
setts received  that  he 
said  in  the  Virginia  Convention  :  "  There  is  no  longer  any  room 
for  hope.  We  must  fight.  I  repeat  it,  sir  ;  we  must  fight!'  Samuel 
Adams  (§15 7)   had  planned  "Committees  of  Correspondence" 

1  These  were  the  Transportation  and  the  Quebec  acts.  The  first  gave  British  officers 
who  were  accused  of  committing  murder  —  as  in  the  case  of  the  "  Boston  Massacre"  —  the 
right  of  trial  in  England,  where,  of  course,  everything  would  be  in  their  favor.  (By  a  law  of 
a  different  date,  Americans  who  committed  murder,  in  resisting  oppression,  might  be  sent 
to  England  for  trial,  where,  of  course,  everything  would  be  against  them.)  The  Quebec  Act 
united  the  territory  north  of  the  Ohio  and  east  of  the  Mississippi  —  which  the  colonists 
considered  theirs  —  with  Canada.  The  object  was  to  conciliate  the  French  Canadians,  and, 
if  need  be,  to  get  their  help  in  punishing  the  colonists. 


Samuel  Adams  planning  the  "  Committees 
of  Correspondence" 


1774-1775]      THE  FIRST  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS  141 

that  kept  the  colonies  informed  by  letters  of  all  that  was  going 
on.  This  prepared  them  for  united  action,  and  in  1774  a  Conti- 
nental or  General  Congress  —  the  first  ever  held  in  America  — 
met  in  Carpenters'  Hall,  Philadelphia,  to  consider  what  course  the 
colonies  should  take. 

The  spirit  of  that  Congress  was  unmistakable.  It  was  per- 
fectly calm,  perfectly  respectful,  but  perfectly  determined.  The 
delegates  who  met  there,  of  whom  George  Washington  was  one, 
did  not  want  to  have  war  with  England ;  they  wanted  peace  — 
peace  if  they  could  get  it,  but  justice  at  any  price.  They  did 
not  ask  for  representation  in  Parliament,  for  they  saw  that  they 
could  not  be  properly  represented  in  that  body  3000  miles  away. 
But  they  did  three  things  of  great  importance  : 

1 .  They  issued  a  Declaration  of  Rights  in  which  they  demanded 
the  right  to  levy  all  taxes. 

2.  They  organized  the  "American  Association"  which  bound 
all  the  colonies  joining  it  to  stop  buying  or  using  British  goods 
until  Parliament  should  repeal  its  unjust  laws. 

3.  They  humbly  petitioned  the  King  to  redress  their  wrongs. 
They  might  as  well  have  petitioned  the  "  Great  Stone  Face  "  in 
the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire. 

Not  long  after  this,  Massachusetts  set  up  a  government  (1775) 
quite  independent  of  the  military  rule  of  General  Gage,  and  made 
John  Hancock,  a  wealthy  and  influential  merchant  of  Boston,  head 
of  it.  The  colony  next  raised  1 2,000  volunteers  ;  a  third  of  them 
were  "  minutemen  "  — men  ready  to  march  or  fight  at  a  minute's 
notice.  The  spirit  of  liberty  was  universal ;  as  a  South  Carolina 
paper  said,  "  One  soul  animates  3,000,000  of  brave  Americans, 
though  extended  over  a  long  tract  of  2000  miles." 

But  the  Carolina  paper  forgot  the  Tories,  who  constituted  a 
third  of  the  population.  They  positively  refused  to  take  up  arms 
against  the  King.  Like  the  patriots  they  were  brave  men  ;  they 
loved  their  country;  but  they  believed  that  the  quarrel  could  be 
settled  without  drawing  a  sword  or  firing  a  gun.  In  the  end  the 
Tories  were  driven  out  of  the  United  States,  and  the  patriots 
seized  their  houses  and  lands. 


142       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1775 


I.    From  the  Beginning  of  the  War  in  1775  by  the 
Colonists  in  Defense  of  their  Rights  as  Eng- 
lish Subjects,  to  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  July  4,   1776 

161.  The  British  Expedition  to  Lexington  and  Concord;  Paul 
Revere;  the  Battle;  the  Retreat.  General  Gage  having  learned 
that  the  patriots  had  stored  a  quantity  of  powder  and  provisions 
at  Concord,  about  twenty  miles  from  Boston,  sent  a  secret  expe- 
dition to  destroy  both.  The  soldiers  had  orders  to  go  by  way  of 
Lexington,  and  there  arrest  Samuel  Adams  (§§  157,  159)  and 
John  Hancock  (§  160),  who  were  stopping  with  a  friend  in  that 
village.    The   London    papers  boasted  that   the  heads    of  these 

two  "  rebels  "  would  soon 


be  exhibited  in  that  city ; 
but  General  Gage  found 
out  that  Adams  and  Han- 
cock were  not  the  kind  of 
men  to  lose  their  heads 
so  easily. 

The  British  troops  left 
Boston  just  before  mid- 
night of  April  18,  1775. 
Paul  Revere,  a  noted  Bos- 
ton patriot,  was  on  the 
watch  ;  at  his  request  two  signal  lanterns  flashed  the  news  abroad 
from  the  steeple  of  the  Old  North  Church,  and  he  galloped 
through  the  country  giving  the  alarm.  When  he  reached  the 
house  in  Lexington  where  Hancock  and  Adams  were  asleep,  a 
man  on  guard  cried  out  to  him,  "  Don't  make  so  much  noise." 
"Noise!"  shouted  Revere1;  "you'll  have  noise  enough  before 
long ;  the  '  regulars  '  are  coming." 

Just  before  daybreak  of  April  19  the  British  "regulars" 
marched  on  to  the  village  green  of  Lexington  where  a  number 
of  "  minutemen  "  had  collected.    "  Disperse,  ye  rebels  !  "  shouted 

1  Read  Longfellow's  "  Paul  Revere's  Ride,"  though  it  is  not  strictly  historical. 


"  Disperse,  ye  Rebels  !' 


1775] 


LEXINGTON  AND  CONCORD 


143 


Pitcairn,  the  British  commander.  No  one  moved ;  then  Pitcairn 
cried,  "  Fire !  "  A  volley  blazed  out,  and  seven  Americans  fell 
dead.  Some  scattering  shots  were  fired  in  return.  Advancing 
to  Concord,  the  soldiers  destroyed  such  military  stores  as  they 
could  find ;  at  Concord  Bridge  they  were  met  by  the  patriots. 
It  was  the  opening  battle  of  the  Revolution,  —  several  men  fell 
on  each  side.  There  the  first  British  were  killed,  there  the  first 
British  graves  were  dug.  The  "  regulars  "  then  drew  back,  leaving 
the  Americans  in  possession  of 
the  bridge,  and  began  their  march 
toward  Boston. 

But  the  whole  country  was  now 
aroused.  The  enraged  farmers 
fired  at  the  British  from  behind 
every  wall,  bush,  and  tree.  The 
march  became  a  retreat,  the  re- 
treat something  like  a  run.  When 
the  "  regulars  "  got  back  to  Lex- 
ington, where  Lord  Percy  met 
them  with  reenforcements,  they 
dropped  panting  on  the  ground, 
"  their  tongues  hanging  out  "  like 
those  of  tired  dogs.1  From  Lex- 
ington the  "  minutemen"  chased  the  British  all  the  way  to  Charles- 
town.  Nearly  three  hundred  of  the  "  redcoats,"  as  the  Americans 
nicknamed  the  English  soldiers,  lay  dead  or  dying  on  the  road. 

Percy  had  marched  gayly  out  of  Boston  to  the  tune  of  "  Yan- 
kee Doodle,"  played  in  ridicule  of  the  Americans,  but  it  was 
noticed  that  his  band  did  not  play  it  on  reentering  the  town 
—  they  had  had  quite  enough  of  all  that  was  "  Yankee "  for 
that  day. 

The  next  morning  the  British  army  found  themselves  shut  up 
in  Boston.  The  Americans  had  surrounded  it  on  the  land  side ; 
they  dared  the  British  to  come  out  and  fight  —  the  siege  of 
Boston  had  begun.    (See  Map,  above.) 

1  So  says  an  English  officer.   See  Stedman's  "  American  War,"  I,  118. 


The  American  Army  besieging 

the  English  Army  in 

Boston 


144      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1775 


162.  The  Second  Continental  Congress;  Washington  made  Com- 
mander in  Chief;  Ethan  Allen's  Victories.  The  Second  Conti- 
nental Congress  (§  160)  met  at  Philadelphia  on  May  10,  1775. 
It  recognized  George  III  as  the  "  rightful  sovereign "  of  the 
American  colonies,  but  it  voted  to  raise  15,000  men  to  defend 
the  liberties  of  the  country,  and  it  appointed  George  Washington 

(§§137-141)  commander  in 
chief  of  the  American  army. 
From  this  time  until  the  Ar- 
ticles of  Confederation  were 
adopted(  1 78 1 )  Congress  prac- 
tically (§  192)  governed  the 
country.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  day  on  which  that 
Congress  met,  Ethan  Allen,  a 
"  Green  Mountain  Boy,"  sur- 
prised the  sentinel  on  duty 
and  got  entrance  with  his 
men  to  Fort  Ticonderoga  on 
LakeChamplain.  Allen  burst 
into  the  commandant's  room 
and  demanded  the  immedi- 
ate and  unconditional  surren- 
der of  the  fort.  "  By  what 
authority  ?  "  asked  the  aston- 
ished officer.  "  In  the  name 
of  the  great  Jehovah  and 
the  Continental  Congress," 
thundered  Allen.  The  com- 
mandant surrendered ;  the  Americans  got  possession  of  cannon, 
arms,  and  military  stores  which  they  sorely  needed.  Crown  Point, 
a  small  fort  on  the  lake,  north  of  Ticonderoga,  was  taken  the 
next  day. 

163.  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  General  Gage  (§  160)  had  received 
reenforcements  from  England  under  the  command  of  Generals 
Howe,   Clinton,  and   Burgoyne.    He  now  had  a  force  of  about 


Ethan  Allen  takes  Fort  Ticonderoga 


1775] 


BATTLE  OF  BUNKER  HILL 


145 


8000  men.  Near  the  middle  of  June,  1775,  he  planned  an  ex- 
pedition to  seize  Bunker  Hill.1  This  hill  is  in  Charlestown  and 
overlooks  part  of  Boston.  Gage  was  afraid  that  the  Americans 
might  get  possession  of  it;  if  so,  they  could  fire  into  his  camp 
and  make  him  very  uncomfortable.    (Map,  p.  143.) 

What,  then,  was  his  surprise  when  he  found  on  the  morning 
of  the  17th  of  June  that  the  "rebels,"  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Prescott,  had  got  the  start  of  him,  and  that,  during  the 
night,  they  had  actually  seized  and  fortified  the  hill.  General 
Gage  saw  that  he  must  drive  the 
Americans  out  of  their  entrench- 
ments or  they  would  drive  him 
out  of  Boston.  He  sent  Howe 
to  make  the  attack  with  3000 
British  "  regulars."  The  Ameri- 
can officers  had  about  half  that 
number  of  men.  As  the  British 
moved  up  the  hill  the  patriots 
received  this  order  :  "  Don't  fire 
till  you  see  the  white  of  their 
eyes."  They  obeyed  ;  when  they 
did  fire  the  destruction  of  life 
was  terrible.  The  smoke  lifted 
and  there  lay  "  The  '  redcoats  ' 
stretched  in  windrows  as  a  mower 
rakes  his  hay."  2 

The  British  fell  back,  rallied, 
made  a  second  attack,  and  again  fell  back.  A  third  time  Howe  led 
his  men  up  the  hill.  This  time  he  was  successful.  The  Ameri- 
cans had  fired  their  last  round  of  ammunition,  and,  fighting  des- 
perately with  the  butt  ends  of  their  muskets  and  even  with  clubs 
and  stones,  they  slowly  retreated.  They  were  driven  back  because 
they  no  longer  had  the  means  to  continue  the  battle. 


Colonel  Prescott  on  Bunker 
Hill 


1  The  name   Breed's  Hill  did  not  then  exist.     See  Frothingham's  "Joseph  Warren," 
p.  507,  and  Winsor's  "  America,"  VI,  135. 

2  Read  O.  W.  Holmes's  fine  poem,  "  Grandmother's  Story  of  Bunker  Hill." 


I4&       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1775 


In  an  hour  and  a  half  the  British  lost  over  iooo  men  out  of 
3000.  The  American  loss  was  somewhat  less  than  half  as  much.1 
During  the  engagement  Howe  ordered  Charlestown  to  be  fired, 

and  by  night  the  greater  part  of 
the  town  was  in  ashes. 

This  act  roused  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin's indignation,  and  he  wrote  a 
letter  to  his  former  friend  Strahan, 
a  member  of  the  English  Parliament, 
which  showed  that  though  he  was  a 
man  of  peace,  yet  he  knew  when  to 
be  angry  (see  Franklin's 
letter  on  the  oppo- 
site page).  When  Gen- 
eral Washington  heard 
how  the  Americans  had 
fought  at  Bunker  Hill 
he  exclaimed,  "  The  lib- 
erties of  the  country  are 
safety  ; 
v.  164.  Washington  takes 
*  /^Command  of  the  Army ; 
Expedition  against  Que- 
bec. Washington  reached 
Cambridge  and  took  com- 
mand of  the  army  (§162) 
of  15,000  poorly  armed 
and  untrained  men  (1775). 
Meanwhile  Congress  had 
learned  that  the  British  in  Canada  were  intending  to  attack 
points  in  northern  New  York.  To  give  them  something  else  to 
think  of  nearer  home,  General  Montgomery  of  New  York  set 
out  to  take  Quebec.  He  descended  Lake  Champlain  and  cap- 
tured Montreal. 


Watching  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
from  the  North  End,  Boston 


1  American  loss  449,  British  1054.  Gage  was  ordered  back  to  England  and   General 
Howe  received  command. 


~>JtfL/%aJ&«- 


■•t?s- 


^?^t^rO^  rn^fCt^^,  -7^2L 


Franklin's  Letter  to  Strahan 


H7 


148       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1775-1776 


Benedict  Arnold  of  Connecticut,  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers 
of  the  Revolution,  started  with  over  iooo  men  to  join  in  the 
attack.  Setting  out  from  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  Arnold 
undertook  to  make  his  way  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec 
through  the  forests  of  Maine.  He  was  six  weeks  getting  across 
the  wilderness.  The  suffering  was  so  terrible  that  many  men 
deserted,  and  the  rest,  after  having  been  compelled  to  eat  their 
moccasins,  nearly  perished. 

At  last  Arnold  reached  Quebec  with  his  ragged,  barefooted, 
half-starved,  and  sadly  diminished  little  army.  Montgomery  joined 
him  with  a  few  hundred  men,  and  with  this 
small  force  they  attempted,  on  the  last  day 
of  the  year  (1775),  to  storm  "the  strongest 
fortified  city  of  America"  (§  142).  Mont- 
gomery was  killed  at  the  head  of  his  troops, 
and  Arnold  badly  wounded  —  it  would  have 
been  a  happy  thing  for  the  latter  if  he,  too, 
had  fallen  dead  on  the  field  (§  186).  A  few 
months  later  the  Americans  were  driven  out 
of  Canada. 

165.  Washington  enters  Boston ;  the  Brit- 
ish repulsed  at  Fort  Moultrie.  Throughout 
the  winter  (1 775-1 776)  want  of  artillery  and 
powder  prevented  Washington  from  doing 
anything,  more  than  simply  keeping  up  the 
siege  of  Boston  (§161).  At  length  General 
Knox  succeeded  in  dragging  fifty  cannon  on  ox  sleds  through 
the  woods  from  Ticonderoga  to  Cambridge.  Early  in  March 
(1776)  Washington  seized  Dorchester  Heights  (South  Boston) 
overlooking  Boston  on  the  south.  He  got  his  cannon  into  posi- 
tion and  then  gave  General  Howe  (§  163)  his  choice  of  withdraw- 
ing his  forces  from  the  town  or  having  it  battered  to  pieces  about 
his  ears.  Howe  took  a  good  look,  through  his  spyglass,  at  the 
American  guns  on  the  Heights,  and  ordered  his  men  to  embark 
as  rapidly  as  possible  (March  17  — St.  Patrick's  Day— 1776) 
for  Halifax. 


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Arnold's  Expe- 
dition 


1776] 


WASHINGTON  ENTERS  BOSTON 


149 


Reduced  Copy  of  the  Gold  Medal  presented  to 

Washington  by  Congress  to  commemorate 

his  driving  the  british  out  of'  boston 


The  following  day  Washington  entered  Boston  in  triumph. 
The  British  had  left  it  never  to  return.  With  them  went  about  a 
thousand  Tories, 
as  those  Ameri- 
cans were  called 
who  opposed  the 
war  and  wished 
to  submit  to  the 
King  (§  160). 

About  mid- 
summer (1776)  a 
British  fleet1  at- 
tacked Fort  Sulli- 
van, in  the  harbor 

of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  The  British  hoped  to  get  pos- 
session of  the  city;  but  Colonel  Moultrie,  aided  by  such  heroes 
as  Sergeant  Jasper,  defended  his  log  fort  with  such  energy  that 

the  enemy  were  glad  enough 
to  withdraw.2 

166.  "  Common  Sense  " ;  the 
Americans  decide  to  separate 
from  Great  Britain.  Up  to  1 776 
the  Americans  had  been  fight- 
ing in  defense  of  their  rights 
as  English  subjects.  Washing- 
ton said,  "  When  I  first  took 
command  of  the  Continental 
army  I  abhorred  the  idea  of 
independence."  But  in  Jan- 
uary (1776)  the  King's  proclamation  reached  Congress.  In  it 
he  called  for  troops  to  put  down  "the  rebellion"  in  America. 
That  was  the  only  answer  he  gave  to  their  humble  petition  for 
justice  (§  160). 

1  General  Clinton  left  Boston  in  the  winter  of  1776  and  sailed  to  attack  the  Carolinas. 
He  was  joined  there  by  a  fleet  from  England  under  Sir  Peter  Parker  and  Lord  Comwallis. 
After  their  defeat  at  Fort  Sullivan,  Cornwallis  and  Clinton,  with  their  men,  went  to 
New  Yorkc  2  After  the  victory  Fort  Sullivan  was  named  Fort  Moultrie. 


iJfc 


Independence  Hall,"  Phila- 
delphia, as  it  appeared 
in  1776 


150       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1776 

The  very  day  that  proclamation  came,  a  remarkable  pamphlet 
was  published  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  entitled  "  Common  Sense." 
The  writer  was  Thomas  Paine,  an  Englishman  who  had  come  here 
to  live.  He  boldly  said  that  the  time  had  come  for  a  "  final  sepa- 
ration "  from  England,  and  that  "  arms  must  decide  the  contest." 
The  pamphlet  sold  by  tens  of  thousands,  because  it  gave  voice  to 
what  tens  of  thousands  were  thinking. 

The  English  people  would  not  volunteer  to  fight  the  Americans, 
and  the  King  had  to  hire  nearly  30,000  Hessians,  from  the  Prince 
of  Hesse  in  Germany,  to  help  do  the  work.  The  knowledge  of 
that  fact  cut  the  last  thread  that  held  us  bound  to  the  mother 
country.  The  Americans  had  not  sought  separation  ;  the  King  — 
not  the  English  people  —  had  forced  it  on  them. 

167.  The  Declaration  of  Independence.  In  June,  1776,  Richard 
Henry  Lee  of  Virginia  offered  this  resolution  in  the  Continental 

&^~£&rr-'f4jL,  -fUpp^-jfl/fc*   J^J^^O^crySl 

(jAj-e^o  gust-    iin^uy^^ f  V  &wv  <*a.  c^rc  J  Avru/vutr-* 


Reduced  Copy  of  the  Last  Line  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence (in  Jefferson's  Handwriting)  with  the  First 
Three  Signatures 

Congress  which  was  sitting  in  the  Old  State  House  in  Philadel- 
phia :  "  Resolved :  that  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right 
ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  states."  John  Adams  of 
Massachusetts  seconded  the  resolution.  A  committee  of  five  — 
Thomas  Jefferson  of  Virginia,   John  Adams  of    Massachusetts, 


Thomas  Jefferson 


151 


152       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[177G 


Benjamin  Franklin  of  Pennsylvania,  Roger  Sherman  of  Con- 
necticut, and  Robert  R.  Livingston  of  New  York  —  was  chosen 
to  draw  up  a  declaration  embodying  that  resolution.  Thomas 
Jefferson  did  the  work.  On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1776,  John 
Hancock  (§  160),  President  of  Congress,  signed  the  Declaration 
of  American   Independence  in  that    bold,   decided    hand  which 

"  the  King  of  England  could  read 
without  spectacles."  Then  the 
patriots  of  Philadelphia  rang  the 
"  Liberty  Bell  "  in  the  Old  State 
House  (now  called  "  Independ- 
ence Hall  "  )  till  it  nearly  cracked 
with  the  joyous  peal.  In  New 
York  City  the  people  pulled 
down  a  gilded  lead  statue  of 
the  King  and  melted  it  up  into 
bullets. 

Later,  the  representatives  of 
the  colonies  added  their  names 
to  the  Declaration.  That  com- 
pleted the  work ;  the  thirteen 
British  colonies  had  ceased  to  ex- 
ist ;  in  their  place  stood  a  new  na- 
tion—the UNITED  STATES 

It  was  cracked  in  1835,  while  tolling  for  the     QF   AMERICA VOUr   COUntry 

death  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall.  . 

and  mine. 
168.  Summary.  George  III  endeavored  to  tax  the  English 
colonists  in  America  against  their  will,  and  in  violation  of  their 
rights  as  English  subjects.  The  colonists  resisted,  and  finally 
took  up  arms  to  defend  themselves.  The  King  refused  to  do 
justice  to  the  Americans,  hired  a  foreign  army  to  help  subdue 
them,  and  so  drove  them  to  separate  from  Great  Britain  and  to 
declare  themselves  independent. 


Liberty  Bell,  Independence 
Hall,  Philadelphia 


'Y      n.  t 


1776]  ^  THE  BRITISH  AIM  AT  NEW  YORK  153 


II.    The  War  of  Independence,  from  July  4,  1776, 
to  the  Victory  of  Saratoga,  1777 

169.  The  British  aim  at  New  York;  Our  Navy.  Driven  out 
of  Boston  (§  165)  and  defeated  at  Charleston  (§  165),  the  British 
determined  to  strike  New  York.  Their  plan  was  to  get  posses- 
sion of  the  city  and  of  the  Hudson  River.  They  could  then  pre- 
vent the  New  England  colonists  and  those  south  of  New  York 
from  helping  each  other,  for  our  force  on  land  was  small,  and  we 
had  no  proper  war  ships  to  attack  the  enemy  by  sea. 

Later,  we  built  a  little  navy.  It  was  commanded  by  such  heroes 
as  John  Barry  (§  214),  who  captured  the  first  English  armed  vessel 
taken  by  us  (1776),  and  Paul  Jones,  who  did  a  great  woik  a  little 
later  (§183). 

Our  privateers  also  captured  many  English  merchant  ships 
laden  with  powder  and  war  supplies. 

170.  Washington's  Preparations  to  receive  the  British;  Fort 
Washington  and  Fort  Lee.  Washington  foresaw  this  design  of 
the  enemy  and  prepared  for  it.  When  General  Howe  (§  165), 
with  his  brother,  Lord  Howe,  commander  of  the  English  fleet, 
reached  New  York  in  the  summer  (1776)  they  found  Washington 
in  possession  of  the  city.  They  found,  too,  that  they  could  not 
send  their  ships  up  the  Hudson  as  easily  as  they  had  hoped,  for 
the  Americans  had  built  Fort  Washington  and  Fort  Lee  expressly 
to  prevent  it.    (Map,  p.  138.) 

171.  The  Two  Armies;  the  Battle  of  Long  Island.  Still  the 
British  were  confident  that  they  could  win  the  day.  Howe  and  his 
brother  were  experienced  military  commanders.  They  had  the  aid 
of  General  Clinton  and  General  Cornwallis,  and  over  30,000  well- 
armed  soldiers  —  men  who  fought  for  a  living.  Washington  had 
less  than  18,000,  most  of  whom  knew  nothing  of  war,  while  many 
had  no  muskets  fit  to  fight  with.  But  Washington  held  the  city 
and  the  forts  on  the  Hudson  and  he  had  possession  of  Brooklyn 
Heights  on  Long  Island,  directly  opposite  the  city  on  the  south. 

General  Howe,  with  his  army,  was  on  Staten  Island.  He  saw 
that  if  he  could  take  Brooklyn  Heights  and  plant  his  cannon 


154       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1776 

there,  he  could  drive  Washington  out  of  New  York,  just  as 
Washington,  by  seizing  Dorchester  Heights,  had  driven  him  out 
of  Boston  (§  165). 

General  Putnam  was  in  command  of  the  Heights  with  a  force 
of  9000  Americans.  In  the  battle  of  Long  Island  (August  27, 
1776)  the  gallant  little  American  army  met  with  defeat. 

Putnam  with  his  whole  force  would  certainly  have  been  cap- 
tured if  it  had  not  been  for  Washington's  energy  and  skill. 
During  the  night  a  dense  fog  came  up,  and  under  cover  of  it 
Washington  got  all  of  Putnam's  men  safe  across  the  river  in 
boats  to  New  York.  In  the  morning,  when  the  British  com- 
mander stretched  out  his  hand  to  take  the  "  nest  of  rebels,"  as 
he  called  it,  he  got  the  nest  indeed,  but  it  was  empty  —  the  birds 
had  flown. 

172.  Washington  retreats  Northward;  Nathan  Hale;  Fort 
Washington  taken;  Lee's  Disobedience.  Washington  was  now 
forced  to  abandon  New  York  and  retreat  up  the  east  side  of  the 
river.  He  was  naturally  very  anxious  to  find  out  what  the  British 
meant  to  do  next.  Captain  Nathan  Hale  of  Connecticut  volun- 
teered to  try  to  get  this  information  for  him,  but  the  brave  young 
man  was  arrested  and  hanged  as  a  spy.  As  he  stood  on  the  gallows 
he  said  to  the  British  officer  in  charge,  "  I  only  regret  that  I  have 
but  one  life  to  lose  for  my  country." 

Washington  ordered  West  Point  (Map,  p.  138),  the  strongest 
place  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  to  be  fortified,  to  pre- 
vent the  enemy  from  going  up  to  Albany.  He  then  crossed  to 
the  west  bank  of  the  river,  but  could  not  hold  his  ground  against 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  he  lost  both  Fort  Washington  and  Fort 
Lee  (§  170).  He  had  left  some  of  his  best  soldiers,  under  the 
command  of  General  Charles  Lee,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hud- 
son. He  now  ordered  Lee  to  join  him,  but  that  traitorous  officer 
disobeyed  him.1 

1  General  Charles  Lee  was  born  in  England.  He  had  been  an  officer  in  the  British  army, 
but  had  left  that  service,  come  to  this  country,  and  had  obtained  the  rank  of  major  general  in 
the  American  army.  He  was  in  no  way  connected  with  the  Lees  of  Virginia.  While  he  was  in 
command  on  the  Hudson  he  was  trying  to  prejudice  Congress  against  Washington,  in  hope  of 
getting  his  place.   Later,  he  showed  himself  to  be  utterly  unprincipled  and  treacherous  (§  182). 


1776]  GENERAL  LEE  CAPTURED  155 

173.  Washington  retreats  across  the  Delaware;  General  Lee 
captured.  Washington  with  his  small  force  now  began  to  retreat 
across  New  Jersey  toward  Philadelphia.  He  broke  down  bridges 
after  he  had  crossed  them,  destroyed  the  provisions  Cornwallis 
hoped  to  get  for  his  army,  and  so  delayed  the  enemy  that  it  took 
them  nearly  three  weeks  (November  19  to  December  8)  to  march 
less  than  seventy  miles  across  a  level  country. 

Cornwallis  and  his  "  redcoats  "  followed  the  retreating  Ameri- 
cans sometimes  at  a  distance,  then  again  close  on  their  heels. 
There  were  times  when  the  British  would  be  entering  a  town  just 
as  our  men  were  hurrying  out  of  it. 

Many  patriots  began  to  despair  of  success.  How,  they  asked, 
can  our  fugitive  army  of  only  3000  men,  wretchedly  armed,  scantily 
clothed,  and  half  fed  hope  to  escape  their  pursuers  ?  Under  any 
other  general  they  could  not  have  escaped ;  but  they  had  Wash- 
ington for  their  leader,  and  Washington  was  the  heart,  strength, 
and  soul  of  the  Revolution. 

Finding  that  he  could  not  hold  New  Jersey,  he  was  forced  at 
last  (December  8,  1776)  to  cross  the  Delaware  at  Trenton.  The 
British  would  have  pushed  on  after  him ;  but  the  American  gen- 
eral had  seized  every  boat  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles  up  and 
down  the  river.  All  that  the  British  could  do  was  to  sit  down  on 
the  bank  and  wait  for  the  stream  to  freeze  over. 

Not  long  after  Washington  had  reached  Pennsylvania  the 
false-hearted  Lee  (§  172)  crossed  the  Hudson  and  marched 
with  4000  men  toward  Morristown,  New  Jersey.  While  he  was 
asleep  in  a  tavern  several  miles  from  his  men,  a  squad  of  Brit- 
ish soldiers  surprised  and  captured  him.  His  army,  thus  fortu- 
nately rid  of  him,  advanced  and  found  an  opportunity  to  join 
Washington. 

174.  The  Victory  of  Trenton.  On  Christmas  night  (1776) 
Washington,  with  a  force  of  less  than  2500  men,  recrossed  the 
Delaware  —  then  full  of  floating  ice  —  and  marched  on  Trenton 
in  a  furious  snowstorm.  There  he  surprised  a  body  of  Hessian 
(§  166)  soldiers  and  took  1000  prisoners  and  a  large  quantity  of 
arms  and  ammunition. 


156       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1776-1777 


All  this  he  did  with  scarce  the  loss  of  a  man.  It  was  not  only 
a  bold  stroke,  but  a  great  victory,  because  it  had  great  results. 
Thousands  of  patriots  had  begun  to  despair ;  now  their  hearts 
leaped  with  joy.    It  was  a  Christmas  long  to  be  remembered. 

175.  What  Robert  Morris  did  for  Washington.  But  it  was  near 
the  end  of  the  year ;  the  time  for  which  many  of  Washington's 
men  had  enlisted  would  be  up  in  a  few  days,  and  he  needed 
money  to  get  them  to  reenlist.  Congress  had  indeed  tried  hard 
to  manufacture  money.  It  had  printed  bills,  called  "continental 
currency,"  by  the  wagon  load.  But  the  poor  soldiers,  barefooted, 
half-starved,  ragged,  and  miserable,  did  not  want  what  Congress 
offered  them.    They  had  left  wives  and  children  at  home  who 

were  crying  for  bread,  and  the  men 
wanted  to  send  them  something  that 
would  buy  it.  They  knew  by  sad  ex- 
perience that  a  dollar  bill  issued  by 
a  government  that  had  no  silver  or 
gold  to  make  it  good  was  worth  just 
as  much  as  any  other  dingy  scrap  of 
paper  of  the  same  size  —  and  worth 
no  more. 

Washington  sympathized  with  the 
men.  He  felt  that  on  this  occasion 
he  must  have  money  that  had  the 
wrote  to  his  friend  Robert  Morris, 
Philadelphia,  begging  him  to  send 
$50,000  in  hard  cash.  Morris  set  out  on  New  Year's  morn- 
ing (i777)  before  it  was  light,  went  from  house  to  house,  roused 
his  friends  from  their  beds,  and  got  the  money.  He  sent  it  at 
once  to  Washington.  It  was  as  good  as  another  victory.  It  saved 
the  army. 

176.  Corn wallis  outwitted ;  Victory  of  Princeton ;  Winter  Quar- 
ters at  Morristown ;  Coming  of  Lafayette,  De  Kalb,  and  Steuben. 
Cornwallis,  leaving  part  of  his  force  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey, 
hurried  south  to  catch  Washington.  He  found  him  between  Tren- 
ton and  a  bend  of  the  Delaware.    That  night  the  British  general 


Robert  Morris  collecting 
Money 

genuine    ring   in    it.     He 

merchant   and    banker,   of 


1777]  BURGOYNE'S   EXPEDITION  157 

went  to  sleep,  certain  that  Washington  could  not  get  away.  For 
how  could  he  hope  to  escape,  with  the  British  army  in  front  and 
the  broad,  deep  Delaware  River  full  of  floating  ice  behind  him  ? 
Cornwallis  told  his  brother  officers  that  they  would  "bag  the  old 
fox  "  in  the  morning.  While  the  English  general  lay  dreaming, 
Washington  like  an  "  old  fox  "  crept  stealthily  round  him,  and 
got  to  Princeton. 

In  the  battle  there  (January  3,  1777),  the  American  advance 
force  was  driven  back.  Just  then  Washington  came  up  and  saved 
the  army  from  defeat.  Then  the  American  general  with  his  little 
army  made  themselves  snug  and  safe  in  the  hills  about  Morris- 
town,  in  northern  New  Jersey.  There  they  remained  until  the  last 
of  May  (1777).    (Map,  p.  138.) 

Cornwallis  knew  that  he  could  not  drive  Washington  out  of 
his  strong  position  without  a  desperate  battle,  so  he  hurried  back 
to  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  for  fear  that  the  Americans 
would  cut  off  his  food  supplies  from  New  York  City. 

The  next  summer  Lafayette,  a  French  nobleman  of  nineteen, 
came  from  Paris  to  offer  his  services  to  Washington  in  behalf  of 
American  liberty.  He  became  one  of  Washington's  generals,  and 
not  only  gave  his  services  to  the  country,  but  equipped  many  of 
the  men  under  his  command  with  arms  and  clothing  furnished 
at  his  own  expense.  Lafayette  brought  with  him  Baron  de  Kalb, 
a  German  military  veteran,  who  also  became  a  general  in  the 
United  States  army.  Later,  Baron  Steuben,  a  Prussian  military 
engineer,  joined  the  Americans  and  made  himself  of  the  greatest 
use  in  drilling  and  disciplining  our  troops.  Kosciusko  and  Pulaski, 
two  eminent  Polish  patriots,  joined  our  army  at  the  same  time. 

177.  Burgoyne' s  Expedition;  Battle  of  Oriskany;  Battle  of 
Bennington.  Meanwhile,  the  British  made  a  new  move.  General 
Burgoyne  (§  163)  marched  down  from  Canada  (1777)  with  8000 
men  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  took  Fort  Ticonderoga 
(§  162).  He  then  pushed  forward  toward  the  Hudson,  expect- 
ing to  join  a  part  of  Howe's  army  there. 

Another  British  expedition  started  from  Oswego  with  a  force  of 
Iroquois  Indians  (§  32)  and  Tories  (§  160)  to  unite  with  Burgoyne. 


158       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY 


[1777 


41 


The  three  English  armies  expected  to  get  control  of  all  New 
York  and  the  Hudson  River,  and  so  cut  off  New  England  —  "  the 
head  of  the  rebellion  "  — from  the  other  colonies.  (Map,  p.  138.) 
The  enemy  coming  from  Oswego  might  have  taken  Fort  Stan- 
wix,  later  named  Fort  Schuyler,  had  not  General  Herkimer  met 
them  at  Oriskany.  In  the  battle  Herkimer  received  his  death 
wound  ;  but  the  brave  old  man  propped  himself  against  a  tree  and 
kept  up  the  fight  until  the  British,  Indians,  and  Tories  fled. 

All  went  well  with  Burgoyne  until  he  struck  into  the  wilderness 
south  of  Lake  Champlain.    There  General  Schuyler  of  Albany 

broke  down  all  the 
bridges,  felled  trees 
across  the  only  road 
there  was  through  the 
woods,  and  made  Bur- 
goyne's  life  miserable. 
Next  the  British  gen- 
eral's horses  and  pro- 
visions gave  out.  He 
sent  a  thousand  men 
to  Bennington,  Ver- 
mont, to  get  more. 
Colonel  John  Stark, 
one  of  the  heroes  of 
Bunker  Hill  (§  38), 
started  with  a  small 
force  to  meet  the  enemy.  Pointing  to  the  "redcoats,"  he  said, 
"  There  they  are,  boys  ;  we  beat  them  to-day  or  Mollie  Stark's  a 
widow."  Mrs.  Stark  had  no  occasion  to  put  on  mourning ;  for  her 
husband,  with  his  men,  whipped  the  British  (August  16,  1777)  so 
badly  that  less  than  a  hundred  out  of  the  thousand  ever  got  back 
to  Burgoyne.  Washington  called  the  victory  a  "  great  stroke."  It 
as,  indeed  ;  for  it  prepared  the  way  for  Burgoyne's  downfall. 
178.  Howe's  Expedition  to  Pennsylvania;  Battle  of  Brandy- 
ine;  Philadelphia  taken;  Battle  of  Germantown.  While  these 
events  were  happening  Howe  started  from  New  York  (§  170)  to 


General  Herkimer  at  Oriskany 


1777]  TURNING  POINT  IN  THE  REVOLUTION  159 

march  to  Philadelphia.  Washington  had  not  men  enough  to  meet 
the  British  general  in  open  fight,  but  he  so  worried  him  and 
wasted  his  time  that  General  Howe  finally  went  back  with  his 
army  to  New  York  in  disgust. 

Howe  then  started  to  go  to  Philadelphia  by  sea.  Finding  the 
Delaware  River  fortified  against  him,  he  landed  at  the  head  of 
Chesapeake  Bay  and  marched  against  the  "  Quaker  City." 

Washington  met  him  at  Brandywine  Creek,  and  tried  to  check 
his  advance ;  but  Howe  had  a  much  stronger  force,  and  the 
battle  (September  11,  1777)  delayed  but  did  not  stop  the  British. 
(Map,  p.  138.)  Two  weeks  later  the  enemy  entered  the  city  which 
was  then  the  capital  of  the  United  States.  Leaving  a  small  force 
at  Germantown,  now  a  part  of  Philadelphia,  Howe  went  down  the 
Delaware  to  capture  the  forts  and  get  possession  of  that  river. 
While  he  was  gone  Washington  attacked  the  British  at  German- 
town,  but  was  repulsed.  He  then  fell  back  to  the  hills  on  the 
Schuylkill  at  Valley  Forge,  about  twenty  miles  northwest  of  Phila- 
delphia.   (Map,  p.  138.) 

179.  The  Turning  Point  in  the  Revolution ;  Battle  of  Saratoga, 
1777;  the  Stars  and  Stripes;  Help  from  France.  Meanwhile, 
great  events  had  happened  in  the  North.  Burgoyne  had  fought 
two  battles  in  the  neighborhood  of  Saratoga,  September  19  and 
October  7,  1777;  he  had  been  utterly  defeated,  and  his  entire 
army,  numbering  about  6000  men,  captured.  (Map,  p.  138.)  If 
to  this  number  we  add  that  of  the  prisoners  taken  by  us  before 
the  surrender,  and  the  loss  of  the  enemy  at  Bennington  (§  177), 
it  will  give  a  total  of  nearly  10,000  —  or  about  one  third  the 
entire  British  force  then  in  America.  The  captured  army  was 
marched  off  by  the  American  officers  triumphantly  bearing  the 
Stars  and  Stripes,1  which  had  just  been  adopted  as  our  national 

1  The  first  United  States  flag  (adopted  by  Congress,  June  14,  1777)  having  the  stars  and 
stripes  was  made,  it  is  said,  out  of  a  soldier's  white  shirt,  an  old  blue  army  overcoat,  and  a 
red  flannel  petticoat.  It  was  hoisted  by  our  army  at  Fort  Stanwix  (near  Rome),  New  York, 
during  Burgoyne's  campaign  in  1777.  Paul  Jones  appears  to  have  first  raised  this  flag  at 
sea  (§  183).  The  flag  raised  by  Washington  at  Cambridge  when  he  took  command  of  the 
army  was  the  English  flag  with  thirteen  red  and  white  stripes  added.  In  the  flag  adopted  by 
Congress  the  stars  represent  all  the  states ;  the  stripes,  the  first  thirteen  states.  The  stars 
and  stripes  on  Washington's  coat  of  arms  may  have  suggested  the  flag. 


l6o      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1777 


flag.  General  Gates  1  got  the  credit  of  the  victory ;  but  Benedict 
Arnold  (§  164)  and  Daniel  Morgan2  with  his  sharpshooters  were 
the  men  who  really  won  it,  partly  by  gallant  fighting,  partly  by 
cutting  off  all  supplies  from  the  enemy,  and  at  last  by  literally 
starving  them  into  a  surrender. 

In  the  wars  of  over  twenty  centuries  an  eminent  English  writer 
finds  only  fifteen  battles  that  have  had  a  lasting  influence  on  the 

world's  history.  The  American 
victory  at  Saratoga,  he  says, 
was  one  of  them.3  It  had  two 
immense  results  : 

1.  It  completely  broke  up 
the  English  plans  for  the  war. 

2.  It  secured  for  us  the  aid 
of  England's  old  and  powerful 
enemy,  France. 

Some  time  after  the  victory 
Lafayette  (§  176)  received  let- 
ters from  Paris.  He  was  then 
at  Valley  Forge  (§  178).  When 
he  had  read  the  letters  he  ran  to 
Washington  and  cried  out  with 
tears  of  j  oy, ' l  The  King,  my  mas- 
ter, has  acknowledged  the  inde- 
pendence of  America,  and  will 
sign  a  treaty  to  help  you  establish  it."  It  was  true.  Men  like  to  help 
those  who  show  that  they  are  trying  their  best  to  help  themselves.  We 
had  shown  it,  and  now  the  King  of  France  held  out  his  hand  to  us. 
The  next  year  (February  6,  1778)  Benjamin  Franklin,  our 
minister  at  Paris,  obtained  the  treaty  or  agreement  by  which  the 

1  General  Gates,  like  General  Charles  Lee  (§  172),  was  born  in  Great  Britain  and  had 
served  in  the  English-army.  He  appears  to  have  taken  no  direct  part  in  these  battles;  in 
fact,  he  was  not  actually  on  the  field  in  either. 

2  Daniel  Morgan  of  Virginia.  He  commanded  a  force  of  five  hundred  picked  riflemen 
—  "  sharpshooters  "  —  with  aim  so  accurate  that  it  was  humorously  said  that  any  one  of  them 
could  toss  up  an  apple  and  shoot  all  the  seeds  out  of  it  as  it  fell.  The.  enemy  who  had  to 
face  these  riflemen  never  disputed  the  story. 

3  "  The  Fifteen  Decisive  Battles  of  the  World,"  by  Sir  Edward  S.  Creasy. 


Victory  of  Saratoga 


1778]  WASHINGTON  AT  VALLEY  FORGE  161 

French  King  pledged  himself  to  send  us  men,  ships,  and  money 
for  the  war.  Franklin  and  Washington  were  the  two  great  men 
who  carried  the  war  to  final  success  :  Washington  by  destroying 
enemies,  Franklin  by  gaining  friends  ;  Washington  by  the  sword, 
Franklin,  like  Morris  (§  175),  with  the  purse.1 

180.  Summary.  The  War  of  Independence  began  with  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4,  1776.  In  the  first  battle, 
that  of  Long  Island,  the  Americans  were  defeated.  Washington 
retreated  across  the  Delaware,  but  returned  and  gained  the  bril- 
liant victory  of  Trenton.  Howe  took  Philadelphia ;  but  shortly 
after,  the  Americans  captured  Burgoyne  and  his  whole  army  at 
Saratoga ;  in  consequence  of  that  success  France  recognized  the 
independence  of  America,  and  pledged  herself  to  help  us  fight 
our  battles  by  land  and  sea. 

III.  The  War  of  Independence,  from  the  Treaty  with 
France  to  the  End  of  the  War  (1 778-1 783) 

181.  Washington  at  Valley  Forge  (1777-1778);  Peace  offered; 
Howe  leaves  Philadelphia.  But  though  the  great  victory  of  Sara- 
toga in  the  autumn  of  1777  (§  179)  filled  the  land  with  joy, 
yet  the  winter  which  followed  was  a  terrible  one.  While  Howe 
and  his  officers  were  living  luxuriously  in  Philadelphia  (§  178), 
Washington's  men,  "  naked  and  starving,"  were  dying  of  putrid 
fever  on  the  frozen  hillsides  of  Valley  Forge  (§  178).  They  were 
dying,  too,  before  the  good  news  could  reach  them  that  the  King 
of  France  had  pledged  his  word  to  aid  America  in  her  great 
struggle  (§  179). 

England  was  greatly  alarmed  at  the  action  of  France  in 
taking  our  part.  The  next  spring  (1778)  the  British  govern- 
ment offered  peace,  representation  in  Parliament  —  everything, 
in  fact,  but  independence.    But  it  was  independence  that  we  were 

1  Franklin  lent  all  his  ready  money  —  about  fifteen  thousand  dollars  —  to  the  country, 
to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Revolution,  and  lent  it  when  everything  looked  against  us. 
His  influence  got  us  a  gift  from  France  of  nearly  two  million  dollars  and  a  loan  of  over 
three  million  more.  Thus  he  used  his  own  purse  and  the  purse  of  the  French  King  to 
help  us. 


1 62       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1778 


fighting  for,  and  we  rejected  the  offer.  Fear  of  the  approach- 
ing French  fleet  now  compelled  the  British1  to  abandon  Phila- 
delphia and  start  for  New  York. 
182.  Battle  of  Monmouth; 
Lee's  Disgrace ;  Indian  Massacres ; 
Clark's  Victories  in  the  West. 
Hj  About  1 5,000  of  the  English  forces 
started  to  go  across  New  Jersey. 
Now  was  Washington's  opportu- 
nity. With  about  the  same  num- 
ber he  followed  them  up  sharply. 
A  battle  was  fought  at  Monmouth 
(Map,  p.  138)  (June  28,  1778), 
which  we  barely  won.  It  was  the 
last  battle  of  note  fought  on  north- 
ern soil.  It  would  have  ended  in 
a  brilliant  victory  for  our  side,  if 
General  Charles  Lee  (§  173),  who  unfortunately  had  come  back 
to  us,  had  done  his  duty.  He  acted  like  a  lunatic  or  a  traitor. 
Washington    sternly   rebuked 


Valley  Forge 


him,  and  shortly  after  ordered 
him  to  withdraw  from  the 
battle  and  go  to  the  rear.  Lee 
was  tried  by  court-martial  for 
disobedience  and  misbehavior, 
and  suspended  from  the  army  ; 
later,  Congress  dismissed  him 
in  disgrace,  and  in  disgrace 
he  died. 

The  British  forces  now  re- 
turned to  New  York  and  vi- 
cinity.   Washington,  with  his 
army  stretched  out  from  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  to  West  Point 
on  the  Hudson,  watched  them  day  and  night.    (Map,  p.  138.) 

1  General  Howe  resigned  in  the  winter  of  1777-1778.  His  brother,  Lord  Howe,  resigned 
the  next  summer  (1778).  Sir  Henry  Clinton  succeeded  General  Howe  in  command  of  the 
army  (May,  1779),  and  Admiral  Byron  succeeded  Lord  Howe  in  command  of  the  British  fleet. 


Clark's  Line  of  March  from  the 
Ohio  River  to  Forts  Kaskas- 

KIA   AND   VlNCENNES 


1778] 


THE  BRITISH  ATTACK  THE  SOUTH 


163 


In  the  summer  and  autumn  bands  of  ferocious  Iroquois  (§  32) 
led  by  Tory  (§§  160,  165)  captains  committed  horrible  massacres 
at  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania,  and  Cherry  Valley,  New  York. 

In  the  West,  Captain  George  Rogers  Clark  of  Virginia  ac- 
complished wonders.  He  and  his  little  band  of  stalwart  back- 
woodsmen set  out  to  capture  the  enemy's  forts  (iJZ&dLZZS))' 
They  endured  terrible  hardships  and  sufferings  in  crossing  the 
"  Drowned  Lands "  where  the  Wabash  River,  in  Indiana,  had 
overflowed  the  country.  Often  they  had  to  push  forward  for 
miles  through  ice-cold  water  waist-deep.  But  neither  hunger, 
cold,  nor  exhaustion  could  force  them  to  turn  back.  They  literally 
waded  to  victory.  Fi- 
nally, they  drove  the 
British  out  of  Illinois 
and  later  from  Indiana, 
thus  securing  that  im- 
mense region  to  the 
United  States.  It  be- 
gan to  look  as  though 
the  King  of  England 
was  losing  his  grip  on 
America. 

183.  The  British  at- 
tack the  South ;  Savannah  taken ;  Wayne's  Victory ;  Paul  Jones. 
The  enemy  now  (1778)  transferred  the  war  to  the  South.  Their 
plan  was  to  begin  at  Georgia  and  conquer  northward.  Then,  in 
case  the  English  government  was  forced  to  make  peace,  it  hoped 
to  be  able  to  keep  the  southern  territory.  King  George  was  pru- 
dent:  "Half  a  loaf,"  said  he  to  himself,  "is  better  than  none." 
The  last  of  the  year  (December  29,  1778)  an  expedition  attacked 
Savannah.  The  British  had  three  men  to  our  one ;  they  took 
the  city. 

The  British  had  got  possession  of  the  fort  at  Stony  Point 
(Map,  p.  138)  in  the  Highlands  of  the  Hudson.  So  long  as  they 
held  it,  our  men  could  not  cross  the  river  at  King's  Ferry  — 
then   the  principal    crossing  place   between    New   England   and 


Wading  to  Victory 


1 64       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1779-1780 

the  southern  states.  "Mad  Anthony  Wayne/'1  under  Washing- 
ton's direction,  stormed  and  took  the  fort  (July  15,  1779),  at 
midnight,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  —  never  firing  a  shot  dur- 
ing the  battle.  The  capture  of  the  fort  stopped  the  British  plans 
for  ravaging  Connecticut.  They  found  that  they  must  use  ail 
their  forces  to  hold  the  Hudson. 

The  next  autumn  brought  glorious  news.  Captain  Paul  Jones,2 
the  first  man  to  hoist  the  Stars  and  Stripes  (§  179)  over  an 
American  war  ship,  had,  with  the  help  of  Benjamin  Franklin 
(§  135),  fitted  out  three  or  four  vessels  in  our  defense.  With 
three  of  these  vessels,  one  of  which  was  a  half-rotten  old  hulk, 
he  boldly  attacked  and  captured  two  British  men-of-war.  The  fight 
took  place  off  Flamborough  Head  on  the  east  coast  of  England. 
(Map,  p.  67.) 

After  that  most  humiliating  defeat  England  still  boasted  that 
she  was  "  mistress  of  the  seas,"  but  the  boast  was  in  a  lower 
tone ;  if  Paul  Jones  had  only  had  a  few  more  ships,  he  would 
have  made  the  tone  a  whisper. 

184.  The  British  take  Charleston;  Marion  and  Sumter's  Mode 
of  Fighting.  In  the  spring  (1780)  the  war  in  the  South  was 
renewed  with  vigor.  The  British  took  Charleston  (May  12,  1780), 
and  Lord  Cornwallis  (§  171)  held  the  city.  But  Marion  (§  115) 
and  Sumter,  with  their  bands  of  resolute  men  armed  with  a  few 
guns,  and  weapons  made  of  old  scythes  and  saw  blades,  did  good 
service  in  the  American  cause.  When  the  British  forces  went  out 
to  conquer  the  country,  the  Carolina  patriots  attacked  them  just 
as  two  kingbirds  attack  a  hawk.  The  kingbirds  are  not  nearly  as 
big  and  strong  as  the  hawk,  but  they  are  far  quicker.  They  strike 
him  from  opposite  sides.  They  easily  dodge  his  blows,  but  he 
cannot  avoid  theirs.  So  they  worry  and  torment  the  hawk  until 
they  tire  him  out,  and  he  is  glad  to  fly  in  any  direction  to  get 
away  from  them. 

1  General  Anthony  Wayne  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  called  "  Mad  Anthony  Wayne " 
on  account  of  his  daring.  The  British  thought  that  the  Americans  could  not  use  the  bayonet ; 
Wayne  showed  them  their  mistake. 

2  Paul  Jones  was  by  birth  a  Scotchman.  He  entered  the  American  service  in  1775.  His 
name  was  originally  John  Paul. 


V 


1780-1781]  VICTORY  OF  KING'S  MOUNTAIN  165 

185.  Loss  of  Camden;  Brilliant  Victory  of  King's  Mountain. 

The  British  had  a  small  force  at  Camden  (Map,  p.  164),  South 
Carolina  —  a  great  center  for  roads,  and  hence  of  much  impor- 
tance from  a  military  point  of  view.  General  Gates  (§  179)  with 
General  De  Kalb  (§  176)  resolved  to  attempt  the  capture  of  the 
place  before  Cornwallis  could  arrive  there,  but  Cornwallis  reached 
Camden  first.  A  battle  was  fought  (August  16,  1780)  in  which 
Gates  was  compelled  to  retreat,  losing  artillery  and  baggage,  and 
narrowly  escaping  capture  himself. 

But  while  Cornwallis  was  chuckling  over  his  victory,  the  back- 
woodsmen of  this  part  of  the  country,  sharpshooters,  every  man, 
attacked  a  British  force  at  King's  Mountain  (October  7,  1780), 
on  the  borders  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  in  a  terrible 
battle  completely  defeated  the  enemy.    (Map,  p.  164.) 

186.  Arnold's  Treason;  the  Dreadful  Winter  at  Morristown. 
Meanwhile  (September  22,  1780),  the  most  startling  and  the 
saddest  event  of  the  Revolution  occurred.  Benedict  Arnold 
(§§  164,  179),  Washington's  trusted  friend,  commander  at  West 
Point,  had  turned  traitor.  The  discovery  was  made  through  the 
arrest  of  Andre,  a  British  spy  by  whom  Arnold  attempted  to 
send  a  plan  of  the  fort  to  the  British  commander  at  New  York. 
Andre  was  tried  and  hanged,  but  Arnold  escaped  to  the  British 
army.  Later,  the  traitor  led  an  attack  on  Richmond,  Virginia, 
and  burnt  it,  and,  last  of  all,  one  on  New  London  in  his  native 
state  of  Connecticut. 

Arnold  died  in  London  twenty  years  later.  It  is  said  that 
the  last  request  he  made  was  that  the  epaulettes  and  sword 
knot  which  Washington  had  given  him  might  be  brought.  "  Let 
me  die,"  said  he,  "  in  my  old  American  uniform,  in  which  I 
fought  my  battles.  God  forgive  me  for  ever  having  put  on 
any  other !  " 

The  gloom  of  Arnold's  awful  act  of  treason  was  felt  in  the 
American  camp  at  Morristown  (§  182)  in  the  dreadful  winter 
(1780-178 1 )  which  followed.  In  some  respects  it  was  worse  than 
that  at  Valley  Forge  (§  181)  ;  and  the  men,  unpaid,  half  fed,  freez- 
ing, were  driven  to  desperation  and  partial  revolt. 


166       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1781 


187.  Greene's  Campaign  in  the  South  (1781);  the  Incident  at 
the  Tavern;  Cornwallis  leaves  the  Carolinas.  But  it  was  the 
gloom  that  precedes  the  dawn.  General  Nathanael  Greene  of 
Rhode  Island  had  been  placed  in  command  at  the  South.  Next 
to  Washington  he  was  by  far  the  ablest  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 
With  a  little  force  that  seemed,  as  he  said,  but  "  the  shadow  of  an 
army,"  he  accomplished  wonders. 

Early  in  the  year  (January  17,  1781)  a  part  of  Greene's  men,  led 
by  Morgan  (§  179),  gained  the  battle  of  Cowpens,  South  Caro- 
lina.   (Map,  p.  164.)    Then  Greene,  who  was  master  of  the  game 
1  ,  ,  ne  was  now  Paying*  retreated  to- 

-•        ■  ,  >  ward  Virginia,  thus  drawing  Corn- 

Hjtfn^  wallis,  who  followed  him,  further 
and  further  away  from  his  supplies 
at  Charleston.  But  the  American 
general  had  many  anxious  days 
during  this  retreat,  and  often  the 
chances  of  success  seemed  wholly 
against  him. 

On  one  such  occasion  he  reached 
Steele's  tavern  at  Salisbury  after 
midnight,  wet  to  the  skin  with 
the  heavy  rain  that  had  fallen 
all  day.  Steele  looked  at  him  in 
astonishment  and  asked  if  he  was 
alone. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  general,  "tired,  hungry,  alone,  and  pen- 
niless." Mrs.  Steele  heard  his  reply ;  she  made  haste  and  set 
a  smoking  hot  breakfast  before  the  weary,  despondent  soldier. 
Then  she  carefully  shut  the  door,  and  drawing  two  bags  of  silver 
from  under  her  apron,  she  held  them  out  to  her  guest. 

"Take  these,"  said  she;  "you  need  them  and  I  can  do  with- 
out them." 

It  was  such  noble-hearted  women  as  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Steele  who 
helped  our  men  to  keep  up  heart  to  the  end.  The  honor  shall  be 
theirs  so  long  as  history  lasts. 


Mrs.  Steele  and  General 
Greene 


1781]       GREENE'S  CAMPAIGN  IN  SOUTH  CAROLINA       167 

At  Guilford  Court  House  (now  Greensborough),  North  Caro- 
lina, Cornwallis  defeated  the  Americans  (March  15,  1781),  but 
he  himself  lost  so  heavily  that  he  could  not  hold  his  ground  and 
had  to  retreat  to  Wilmington,  North  Carolina.  He  arrived  there 
(April  7,  1 781)  in  miserable  plight,  having  lost  about  half  of 
his  small  army  by  battle,  sickness,  or  desertion.  On  reaching 
Wilmington,  Cornwallis  heard  that  Greene  had  turned  back  to 
attack  the  English  force  under  Lord  Rawdon  left  at  Camden, 
South  Carolina.  Cornwallis  was  in  no  condition  to  wheel  about 
and  follow  Greene.  He  finally  decided  to  march  northward  to 
Petersburg,  Virginia.  (Map,  p.  164.)  There  he  hoped  to  get 
more  troops  from  New  York  ;  then,  having  conquered  Virginia, 
he  would  go  back  and  reconquer  the  Carolinas. 

188.  Greene's  Campaign  in  South  Carolina.  Cornwallis  started 
on  his  long  march  of  200  miles.  Meanwhile,  Greene,  aided  by 
Marion,  Sumter  (§  184),  and  Pickens,  had  driven  the  British 
from  Camden  (May  10,  1781).  Through  the  summer  he  struck 
the  enemy  blow  after  blow,  and  ended  by  gaining  what  was  prac- 
tically a  victory,  at  Eutaw  Springs,  South  Carolina  (September  8, 
1 781).  After  that  the  British  —  what  there  was  left  of  them  — 
fled  to  Charleston,  shut  themselves  up  there,  and  did  not  venture 
out.  Greene  had  in  fact  won  back  the  Carolinas  ;  and  he  had 
won  them,  thanks  to  the  help  given  by  Marion,  Sumter,  and 
Pickens,  with  an  army  which  did  not  number  more  than  about 
2000  men.  To  accomplish  much  with  small  means  is  a  sure  sign 
of  greatness.  Greene  had  done  this,  and  Washington  was  the 
man  who  taught  him. 

189.  The  Crowning  Victory  of  the  War,  1781.  Cornwallis 
reached  Virginia,  and  after  vainly  pursuing  Lafayette  (§§  176, 
179)  and  destroying  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  he 
entered  Yorktown,  on  a  narrow  peninsula  at  the  mouth  of  the 
York  River.  He  went  there  not  because  he  wanted  to,  but 
because  he  must.  Cornwallis  had  been  chasing  Lafayette ;  he 
boastingly  said,  "The  boy  cannot  escape  me."  But  "the  boy," 
Lafayette,  with  a  larger  army,  had  turned  round  and  begun  chas- 
ing him.    Cornwallis  moved  to  Yorktown  (July  30,  178 1)  to  get 


1 68       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1781 


help  by  sea  from  New  York.  There  the  British  general  fortified 
himself.  He  did  not  know  it,  but  he  was  building  his  own  prison 
—  one  that  he  would  never  get  out  of  except  by  surrender. 

While  he  was  waiting  for  soldiers  to  arrive  from  New  York 
a  French  fleet  of  war  ships  (§  179)  was  coming  to  block  him 
in.  Now  was  Washington's  chance  to  strike  a  tremendous  blow. 
His  plan  was  to  march  rapidly  south  from  the  Hudson  to  York- 
town,  and,  with  the  help  of  the  French  fleet  and  French  troops 
and  of  Lafayette  and  his  army,  to  capture  Cornwallis  with  his 

whole  force.  Such  a 
move  required  a  large 
amount  of  money  to 
pay  the  men  and  buy 
provisions.  Robert 
Morris  (§  175)  again 
came  to  the  rescue 
and  is  said  to  have 
furnished  nearly  a 
million  and  a  half  of 
dollars  for  the  good 
work. 

Clinton  (§  171), 
at  the  head  of  the 
British  force  in  New 
York,  thought  Wash- 
ington was  getting 
ready  to  attack  him.  Washington  encouraged  him  to  think  so. 
Even  Washington's  own  army  supposed  that  was  his  intention. 
When  he  was  ready,  Washington  suddenly  broke  camp  and 
marched  his  entire  force  with  all  possible  speed  across  the  country 
to  the  head  of  Chesapeake  Bay  and  thence  (by  vessels)  to  York- 
town.    (Map,  p.  164.) 

Cornwallis  looked  over  the  walls  of  his  fortified  town.  He 
saw  the  French  fleet  on  one  side,  and  the  American  army  9000 
strong,  with  the  French  army  7000  strong,  massed  together 
against  him  on  the  other  side.    He  held  out  manfully  for  more 


Washington  firing  the  First  Gun  at  Yorktown 


1781] 


SUMMARY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


169 


than  a  week  against  solid  shot,  shell,  and  red-hot  balls.  Then, 
seeing  that  it  was  useless  to  struggle  against  fate,  he  surren- 
dered. His  army  marched  out  October  19,  1781,  to  the  tune 
of  "The  World's  Upside  Down."  It  was  true;  the  British 
world  in  America  was  "  upside  down,"  and  the  fall  of  York- 
town  practically  ended  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  After  more 
than  six  weary  years  of  fighting  Washington  had  conquered.  It 
was  "the  victory  of  a  great  and  good  man  in  a  great  and  good 
cause." 

When  the  news  reached  London  and  was  announced  to  Lord 
North,  then  the  Prime  Minister  and  the  King's  chief  adviser, 
he  threw  up  his  arms 
as  though  a  cannon 
ball  had  struck  him, 
cried  out  wildly,  "  It 
is  all  over  !  "  and  then 
resigned  his  office. 

190.  Summary  of 
the  Revolution.  The 
King  of  England  in- 
sisted on  taxing  the 
American  colonies 
without  their  consent. 
The  Americans  re- 
fused to  pay,  and  took 
up  arms  in  defense  of  their  rights  as  loyal  English  subjects.  The 
King  and  his  party  endeavored  to  put  down  the  rebellion,  and 
on  July  4,  1776,  the  colonists  declared  themselves  independent 
of  Great  Britain. 

The  War  for  Independence  then  began.  At  Saratoga,  in  1777, 
the  Americans  gained  a  great  victory  over  Burgoyne.  In  con- 
sequence of  that  victory  the  King  of  France  acknowledged  the 
independence  of  the  United  States,  and  sent  money,  ships,  and 
men  to  fight  in  our  behalf. 

In  1 78 1  Washington,  with  the  help  of  French  troops  and  of 
French  ships  of  war,  defeated  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  and  took 


"The  World's  Upside  Down 


170       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1782-1783 

him  prisoner  with  all  his  army.  That  decisive  victory  prac- 
tically ended  the  Revolution,  and  forced  England  to  give  up 
re  contest. 
191.  George  Ill's  speech  on  the  United  States ;  England  makes 
Treaty  of  Peace  with  us,  1783 ;  the  King's  Meeting  with  John 
Adams.  At  the  opening  of  Parliament  (1782),  the  King,  in  a  voice 
choked  with  emotion,  announced  that  he  was  ready  to  acknowledge 
the  independence  of  the  United  States.  He  closed  his  speech  by 
saying  that  it  was  his  earnest  prayer  that  "  religion,  language, 
interest,  and  affection  might  prove  a  bond  of  permanent  union 
between  the  two  countries." 

A  final  treaty  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  this  coun- 
try was  signed  at  Paris  in  1783.  It  secured  to  us  the  thirteen 
states,  with  Maine,  and  the  territory  west  of  them  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi. (Map,  p.  1 70.)  Our  first  minister  to  England  was  John 
Adams  of  Massachusetts.  The  King  said  to  him  :  "  Sir,  I  will  be 
very  free  with  you.  I  was  the  last  to  consent  to  the  separation, 
but  the  separation  having  been  made  ...  I  have  always  said, 
as  I  say  now,  that  I  would  be  the  first  to  meet  the  friendship 
of  the  United  States  as  an  independent  power." 

192.  The  American  States  Independent  but  not  really  United; 
Congress  destitute  of  Power;  the  Articles  of  Confederation.  But 
though  America  had  won  her  independence,  she  had  not  secured 
harmony  and  union.  While  the  war  lasted  the  states  fought 
like  brothers,  side  by  side  ;  now  that  the  danger  was  over  they 
threatened  to  fall  apart.  We  were  like  a  barrel  made  of  thirteen 
stout  staves,  but  without  a  single  strong  hoop  to  hold  us  to- 
gether. When  Congress  made  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
(§  167),  it  also  framed  the  first  national  constitution  called  the 
Articles  of  Confederation  (§  162).  But  the  states  did  not  adopt 
that  constitution  until  five  years  later,  1781. 

Under  the  Articles  of  Confederation  the  government  accom- 
plished two  great  pieces  of  work  : 

1.  It  made  peace  with  Great  Britain,  1783  (§  191). 

2.  It  adopted  the  famous  Ordinance  for  the  government  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  1787  (§  195). 


1783-1787]  JEALOUSY  OF  THE  STATES  \J\ 

But,  generally  speaking,  the  Articles  proved  to  be  very  unsat- 
isfactory.   Under  them  the  nation  could  do  but  little  because 

i.  It  had  no  President  —  no  head. 

2.  It  had  a  Congress,  but  that  Congress  was  destitute  of 
power.  It  might  pass  good  and  useful  laws,  but  it  could  not 
compel  the  people  to  obey  them.  It  might  beg  the  people  to 
give  money,  but  it  could  not  make  them  furnish  it.  It  might 
ask  for  soldiers  to  defend  the  country,  but  it  could  not  force 
them  to  serve. 

193.  Distressed  Condition  of  the  Country;  Jealousy  of  the 
States ;  Lack  of  Freedom  of  Trade.  The  truth  is,  that  the  people 
had  come  out  of  the  war  in  a  distressed  condition.  They  were 
heavily  in  debt.  Business  was  at  a  standstill.  Gold  and  silver 
coin  was  scarce.  The  states  had  an  abundance  of  paper  stuff 
which  pretended  to  be  money,  but  nobody  knew  what  it  was  worth, 
and  what  passed  for  a  dollar  in  one  state  might  not  pass  at  all 
in  another.  The  distress  and  discontent  grew  worse  and  worse. 
The  states  quarreled  with  each  other  about  boundary  lines,  about 
commerce,  about  trade.  Instead  of  being  a  united  and  friendly 
people,  they  were  fast  getting  to  be  thirteen  hostile  nations  ready 
to  draw  the  sword  against  each  other. 

This  feeling  was  shown  in  the  fact  that  a  man  could  not  buy 
and  sell  freely  outside  of  his  own  state.  If,  for  instance,  a  farmer 
in  New  Jersey  took  a  load  of  potatoes  to  New  York,  he  might 
have  to  pay  a  tax  of  five  or  ten  cents  a  bushel  to  that  state  before 
he  could  offer  them  for  sale.  On  the  other  hand,  if  a  New  York 
merchant  sent  a  case  of  boots  to  New  Jersey  to  sell  to  the 
farmers,  that  state  might,  if  it  chose,  tax  him  ten  cents  a  pair 
before  he  could  get  a  permit  to  dispose  of  his  goods. 

194.  "Shays'  Rebellion"  (1786-1787).  The  people  of  Massa- 
chusetts were  perhaps  more  heavily  loaded  with  debt  than  those 
of  any  other  state.  It  is  said  that  the  heads  of  families  owed  about 
two  hundred  dollars  apiece.  They  were  willing  to  pay,  but  could 
get  nothing  to  pay  with.  When  great  numbers  of  poor  people 
were  sued  and  thrown  into  prison,  multitudes  became  desperate. 
In  the  western  part  of  the  state  Daniel  Shays  raised  an  army  of 


172       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1786-1787 

nearly  two  thousand  excited  farmers  (1786).  They  surrounded 
the  courthouses  at  Worcester  and  Springfield,  and  put  a  stop 
to  all  lawsuits  for  debt.  It  was  not  until  a  strong  military  force 
was  sent  out  against  them  that  the  "  rebellion  "  was  finally  quelled, 

and  Shays  compelled  to  fly  to 
New  Hampshire. 

195.  How  the  Northwest  Ter- 
ritory helped  keep  the  Union 
together.  The  most  powerful 
influence  which  kept  the  na- 
tion from  dropping  to  pieces 
was  the  fact  that  the  states  had 
an  interest  in  the  Northwest 
Territory.  (Map,  opposite.)  Up 
to  the  middle  of  the  Revolu- 
tion seven  of  the  thirteen  states 
claimed  the  country  west  of 
them  as  far  as  the  Mississippi 

.! «  „  River. 

Shays'  Rebellion"  . 

Four  of  these  states  —  Vir- 
ginia, New  York,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut  —  claimed  land 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  to  the  Mississippi.  They  finally 
agreed  (1 781-1786)  to  give  it  to  the  United  States  to  be  disposed 
of  for  the  common  good. 

In  1787  Congress  made  the  celebrated  Ordinance  or  body  of 
laws  for  the  government  of  this  Northwest  Territory.  That  Ordi- 
nance had  four  very  important  provisions  : 

1.  It  forbade  the  holding  of  slaves  in  the  territory  (though  it 
made  provision  for  returning  fugitive  slaves  who  should  escape 
to  that  region). 

2.  It  granted  entire  religious  freedom  to  every  settler. 

3.  It  encouraged  "  schools  and  the  means  of  education." 

4.  It  provided  that  the  new  territory  should  be  cut  up  into 
states,  equal  in  standing  with  the  original  thirteen. 

People  believed  that  Congress  would  be  able  to  sell  farm- 
ing  lands    in    that  vast    region,  —  now  forming   the   great   and 


92s  Hl°  82°  77° 

THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY  was  divided  into  the  five 
following  states  (  with  Minnesota  east  of  the  Mississippi ) :  1. 
Ohio,  admitted  1803  ;  2.  Indiana,  admitted  1816  ;  3.  Illinois, 
admitted  1818  ;  4.  Michigan,  admitted  1837  ;  5.  Wisconsin, 
admitted  1848.    (See  note  on  map  of  (J.  S.  1783.) 


1787]  A  NEW  CONSTITUTION  ADOPTED  173 

prosperous  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  eastern  Minnesota,  —  and  thus  get  money  to  pay  off 
the  war  debt  of  the  Revolution.  That  belief  helped  to  hold  the 
country  together. 

196.  The  Articles  of  Confederation  are  set  aside  and  a  New 
Constitution  adopted,  1787.  Still,  even  with  this  hope  to  brighten 
the  sky,  the  outlook  was  dark  enough.  Washington,  Franklin, 
Madison,  Hamilton,  —  in  a  word,  the  ablest  men  of  that  day,  — 
thought  the  prospect  anything  but  encouraging.  It  seemed  to 
them  that  unless  we  secured  a  better  form  of  government  than 
that  which  the  defective  Articles  of  Confederation  provided  (§  192) 
the  newborn  republic  was  likely  to  die  in  its  cradle. 

At  last  (1787)  a  convention  of  fifty-five  members  was  held  in 
Philadelphia  to  make  a  new  Constitution.  Washington  presided 
over  this  convention,  and  a  majority  of  the  state  legislatures  sent 
their  chief  men  to  take  part  in  it.  The  convention  held  a  secret 
session  of  nearly  four  months,  and  had  many  stormy  debates 
before  the  articles  of  the  new  Constitution  could  be  agreed  upon. 
At  one  time  Benjamin  Franklin  (§§  135,  152,  157,  163,  183) 
and  other  eminent  men  nearly  despaired  of  any*  successful  result. 
But  by  three  judicious  compromises  *  the  great  work  was  finally 

1  The  first  important  question  of  debate  was  between  the  delegates  from  the  small  states 
and  those  from  the  large  ones  in  regard  to  representation  in  Congress.  If  the  representation 
rested  wholly  on  population,  then  the  large  states  would,  of  course,  have  entire  control. 

This  question  was  settled  by  a  compromise  or  mutual  concession  by  which  it  was  finally 
agreed  that  Congress  should  consist  of  two  houses  :  (i)  the  House  of  Representatives  chosen 
by  the  people  of  the  different  states  and  representing  them  ;  (2)  the  Senate,  or  Upper  House, 
consisting  of  two  members  from  each  state.  (See  the  Constitution,  in  the  Appendix,  Article  I, 
Sections  2  and  3.)    In  the  Senate  the  small  states  stand  equal  to  the  large  ones. 

The  second  great  question  was  whether  slaves  should  be  counted  in  reckoning  the  number 
of  the  population  with  reference  to  representation  in  Congress.  The  North  insisted  that 
they  should  not ;  the  South  (where  slaves  were  very  numerous),  that  they  should.  The  con-  >— 
test  on  this  point  was  long  and  bitter.  Finally,  it  was  agreed  that  three  fifths  of  the  slaves 
should  be  counted  with  reference  to  both  representation  and  taxation  (though  the  slaves 
themselves  were  of  course  neither  represented  nor  taxed).  (See  the  Constitution,  Article  I, 
Section  2,  Paragraph  3,  "Three  fifths  of  all  other  persons P  These  "other  persons"  were 
slaves.) 

The  third  and  last  question  was  in  regard  to  commerce  and  to  protection  of  slaveholders. 
It  was  agreed  that  Congress  should  have  the  entire  control  of  commerce  (the  states  had  had 
it  before).    (See  the  Constitution,  Article  I,  Section  8,  Paragraph  3.)    Furthermore,  it  was   . 
agreed  that  the  importation  of  slaves  might  be  prohibited  after  1808.    (See  the  Constitution, 
Article  I,  Section  9,  Paragraph  1 ;  these  slaves  are  called  "  such  persons."   The  word  "  slave  " 


174       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1787 


completed.  The  opening  lines  of  the  Constitution  show  first, 
who  made  it,  and  secondly,  why  they  made  it.  It  begins  with 
these  ever-memorable  words  : 


After  the  convention  had  accepted  the  new  Constitution,  it  was 
sent  to  the  different  states  to  be  voted  upon  by  the  people. 
Those  who  favored  it  called  themselves  Federalists,  while  those 
who  opposed  it,  because  they  thought  it  gave  the  national  gov- 
ernment  too    much    power,    called    themselves    Anti- Federalists. 


/      $     Vrrf 

,  fifl^ 

JJ^lM 

il32*^?^^ 

-  ; 

:lKy    M 

i  \  /Mill '  *BKB 

r'          If' 

BE 

t^0 

- *  <m 

ctPtLimVr 

I 

III  A"   •'■ 

E^! 

ILf^B 

The  "  Ship  of  State  " 

But  in  time  all  of  the  states  decided  to  adopt  it.  The  man  who 
did  the  most  to  convince  them  of  the  wisdom  of  such  a  course 

does  not  occur  in  the  Constitution.  It  was  also  agreed  that  runaway  slaves  should  be  returned 
to  their  owners.  (See  the  Constitution,  Article  IV,  Section  2,  Paragraph  3,  "  No  person 
[i.e.  slave]  held  to  service,"  etc.)    The  first  Fugitive-Slave  Law  was  passed  in  1793. 

If  the  compromises  between  the  small  states  and  the  large,  and  the  North  and  South,  had 
not  been  made,  the  Constitution  would  have  been  rejected,  and  we  should  probably  have 
split  up  into  two  or  three  hostile  republics ;  even  after  its  adoption  it  took  the  better  part 
of  a  year  to  get  the  states  to  ratify  it. 


1789]  WHAT  THE  NEW  CONSTITUTION  DID  175 

was  Alexander  Hamilton1  of  -New  York.  When  the  city  of  New 
York  celebrated  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  (1788)  a  ship 
on  wheels  representing  the  "  Ship  of  State,"  or  the  Union,2  was 
drawn  through  the  streets  by  ten  milk-white  horses.  Hamilton's 
name  was  painted  in  large  letters  on  the  platform  upholding 
the  vessel. 

197.  What  the  New  Constitution  did  for  the  Country.  The 
Constitution  went  into  effect  in  1789.  It  accomplished  six  great 
objects,  not  one  of  which  was  provided  for  in  the  old  Articles  of 
Confederation  (§  192). 

1.  It  gave  the  nation  a  head,  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  made  it  his  duty  to  see  that  the  laws  made  by  Con- 
gress should  be  faithfully  enforced. 

2.  It  gave  Congress  full  power  to  raise  money  by  taxation  to 
carry  on  and  defend  the  national  government. 

3.  It  gave  every  citizen  of  the  United  States  equal  rights  in 
all  the  states,  with  liberty  to  buy  and  sell  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.    This  secured  freedom  of  trade  throughout  the  Union. 

4.  It  gave  Congress  the  control  of  all  foreign  commerce,  and 
the  sole  right  to  levy  duties  or  taxes  on  imported  goods. 

5.  It  gave  Congress  the  entire  control  of  all  the  territory  and 
public  lands  of  the  nation. 

6.  It  established  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  with 
full  authority  to  decide  all  questions  and  disputes  in  regard  to  the 
powers  of  the  national  government. 

1  Alexander  Hamilton  was  born  in  the  West  Indies,  1757.  He  went  to  New  York  in 
1772  and  entered  Columbia  College.  He  took  part  in  the  Revolution  and  gained  the 
friendship  and  esteem  of  Washington.  After  the  Revolution  he  earnestly  advocated 
the  forming  and  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  As  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of 
the  United  States  he  put  the  nation  on  a  permanent  financial  basis.  Many  good  judges 
consider  him  the  ablest  man  who  ever  occupied  that  office.  He  restored  public  confidence 
and  helped  to  establish  trade  and  industry  by  his  successful  advocacy  of  the  first  tariff  and 
the  first  United  States  Bank.  Daniel  Webster  said  of  him :  "  He  smote  the  rock  of  the 
national  resources,  and  abundant  streams  of  revenue  gushed  forth.  He  touched  the  dead 
corpse  of  Public  Credit  and  it  sprung  upon  its  feet."  Hamilton  was  killed  by  Aaron  Burr 
(§  219)  in  a  duel  in  1804.  The  whole  country  felt  the  irreparable  loss  of  this  great  states- 
man and  patriot. 

2  See  Longfellow's  "  Building  of  the  Ship,"  last  part,  lines  beginning 

"  Thou,  too,  sail  on,  O  Ship  of  State  ! 
Sail  on,  O  Union,  strong  and  great !  " 


176       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1789 

A  few  years  later  ten  very  important  amendments  were  added 
to  the  Constitution.1  They  were  called  a  "  Bill  of  Rights."  They 
secured  still  further  protection  to  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
people.  For  this  reason  many  of  the  Anti- Federalists  (§  196)  who 
had  strongly  opposed  the  original  Constitution  now  gave  it  their 
hearty  support. 

198.  Summary.  The  Revolution  made  us  an  independent 
people  ;  the  Constitution  completed  the  work  by  making  us  a 
united  people,  — a  true  American  nation.  Now,  to  use  the  words 
of  John  Adams,  "the  thirteen  clocks  all  struck  together." 

1  See  Appendix,  Amendments  to  the  Constitution.  Two  more  amendments  were  adopted 
between  1798  and  1804,  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth,  the  first  of  which  exempted  a  state  from 
suit  "  by  citizens  of  another  state,  or  by  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  foreign  state,"  and  the 
second  changed  the  method  of  electing  the  President  of  the  United  States.  After  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Civil  War  the  Thirteenth,  Fourteenth,  and  Fifteenth  amendments  were  adopted 
relating  to  the  emancipated  slaves  and  to  the  reconstruction  of  the  seceded  states. 


V 

11  This  government,  the  offspring  of  your  own  choice,  .  .  .  adopted  upon 
full  investigation  and  mature  deliberation,  completely  free  in  its  principles, 
.  .  .  and  containing,  within  itself,  a  provision  for  its  own  amendment,  has  a 
just  claim  to  your  confidence  and  respect."  —  President  Washington's 
Farewell  Address  to  the  People  of  the  United  States,  Septe?nber  iy ;  1796. 

THE  UNION  — NATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT1 

(1789-1861) 
the  federalist  party  in  power 

George  Washington  (Federalist) 

199.  Washington  elected  President  (Two  Terms,  1789-1797); 
his  Inauguration.  We  have  seen  (§  196)  that  the  Federalists 
and  Anti-Federalists  held  opposite  views  about  the  Constitu- 
tion. But  both  agreed  that  Washington  should  be  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  new  government.  They  accordingly  united  and  unan- 
imously elected  him  the  first  President  of  the  United  States 
(1 789-1 793),  and  when  his  term  of  office  expired  he  was  re- 
elected (1 793-1 797).  In  both  cases  John  Adams  was  chosen 
Vice  President.  New  York  City  was  then  the  capital  of  the 
country,  but  Philadelphia  was  made  so  a  little  later  (1790),  and 
ten  years  afterward  the  city  of  Washington  became  so  perma- 
nently (1800).  Washington  was  to  be  inaugurated  on  March  4 
(1789),  the  day  the  new  Constitution  went  into  operation;  but 
the  ceremony  was  delayed  until  April  30.  The  President  took  his 

1  Reference  Books  (Washington  to  John  Adams,  inclusive).  A.  B.  Hart's 
"  Formation  of  the  Union,"  ch.  7-8 ;  W.  C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "  United  States  " 
(revised  edition),  IV,  ch.  5-6 ;  J.  S.  Bassett's  "  The  Federalist  System  " ;  A.  B. 
Hart's  "American  History  by  Contemporaries,"  III,  ch.  12-15;  A.  B.  Hart's 
"  Source  Book,"  ch.  1 1  ;  J.  Schouler's  "  United  States,"  I,  74-500  ;  J.  B.  McMaster's 
"  United  States,"  I,  540-604  ;  II,  25-533  ;  F.  A.  Walker's  "Making  of  the  Nation," 
ch.  5-8.    See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books  in  the  Appendix. 

177 


178       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1789 


stand  on  the  balcony  of  the  old  Federal  Hall  in  Wall  Street  where 
Congress  met. 

The  Chancellor  of  the  state  of  New  York  then  stepped  for- 
ward and  read  to  him  the  following  oath  of  office  required  by  the 
Constitution. 

"I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  faithfully  execute 

the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best 

,.^  ■  ,^  of   my    ability,   preserve, 

protect,    and   defend   the 

Constitution  of  the  United 

States."1 

Laying  his  hand  on  an 
open  Bible,  Washington 
replied,  "  I  swear — so  help 
me  God  !  "  Then  amidst 
ringing  of  bells  and  firing 
of  cannon,  a  great  shout 
went  up  from  the  multitude 
of  people  in  the  street  : 
"  Long  live  George  Wash- 
ington, President  of  the 
United  States !  " 

200.  Washington's  Cab- 
inet ;  how  the  Government 
raised  Money.  Washing- 
ton chose  four  eminent  men,  as  members  of  his  cabinet  or  private 
council,  to  aid  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  presidential  duties. 
For  Secretary  of  State,  to  deal  with  the  foreign  affairs  of  the 
nation,  he  selected  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  author  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence ;  for  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Alexander 
Hamilton  (§  196);  for  Secretary  of  War,  General  Henry  Knox; 
for  Attorney-General,  Edmund  Randolph. 

Washington  next  appointed  John  Jay2  to  the  very  important 
office  of    Chief   Justice  of    the   Supreme    Court  of  the  United 


President  Washington 


1  See  Appendix,  The  Constitution,  Article  II,  Section  i,  Paragraph  8. 

2  John  Jay  of  New  York  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  (1783), 


1789-1790]  PAYING  OUR  JUST  DEBTS  1 79 

States.  These  men  did  not  all  agree  with  Washington  in  political 
matters ;  but  they  all  reverenced  him,  and  they  were  ready,  like 
him,  to  do  their  utmost  to  promote  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
the  country. 

The  new  government  began  its  great  work  with  an  empty 
treasury ;  but  a  government  can  no  more  hope  to  live  and  pay  its 
bills  without  money  than  you  or  I  can.  In  order  to  obtain  funds, 
Congress  passed  the  first  Tariff  Act  (1789).  It  imposed  a  mod- 
erate duty  or  tax  on  many  foreign  goods  entering  our  ports. 

Another  act  levied  a  tonnage  tax  on  foreign  merchant  ships 
coming  to  the  United  States.  For  instance,  if  a  French  vessel 
of  six  hundred  tons  loaded  with  wine  came  into  New  York,  the 
owners  would  have  to  pay  a  duty  of  fifty  cents  a  ton  —  or  three 
hundred  dollars  on  the  vessel,  and  eighteen  cents  a  gallon  on  the 
wine.  Other  articles,  such  as  tea,  silk,  and  sugar,  were  charged 
different  rates. 

201.  Paying  Our  Just  Debts.  Hamilton,  who  was  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  (§  200),  got  permission  from  Congress  (1790)  to 
use  all  the  money  obtained  by  the  Tariff  and  Tonnage  Acts,  not 
needed  for  the  expenses  of  the  government,  to  do  three  things  : 

1 .  To  pay  back  to  France  and  to  other  countries  what  we  had 
borrowed  of  them  during  the  Revolution. 

2.  To  pay  the  debts  we  owed  at  home  to  our  soldiers,  and  to 
those  who  had  lent  money  to  the  government  during  the  war. 

3.  To  pay  the  debts  which  the  different  states  were  owing  to 
their  own  citizens  for  expenses  which  they  had  incurred  in  fighting 
the  battles  of  the  Revolution. 

Hamilton's  wise  and  honest  dealing  put  the  credit  of  the  United 
States  on  a  sure  foundation  ;  it  enabled  us  to  pay  debts  amounting 
to  nearly  $6,000,000,  and  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  many 
millions  more.  From  that  day  to  this,  we  have  always  been  able 
to  borrow  all  the  money  we  wanted. 

202.  The  First  Census;  the  First  United  States  Bank;  the 
Mint.  Meanwhile  (1 790),  the  first  census  was  taken.  It  was  a  work 
of  great  importance,  since  it  determined  the  "  Federal  Ratio  "  or 
number  of  representatives  that  could  be  elected  to  sit  in  Congress. 


180       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1790-1792 

The  ratio  was  fixed  at  I  in  every  30,000.  It  is  now  1  in  over 
193,000.    (See  Appendix,  Table  of  Representation.) 

The  census  showed  that  we  had  a  population  of  nearly  4,000,000. 
It  also  showed  that  nearly  the  whole  body  of  people  lived  along 
the  Atlantic  seacoast,  on  a  strip  of  country  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  wide.  Since  then  the  population  has  doubled, 
on  the  average,  every  twenty-five  years,  and  has  moved  steadily 
westward. 

Next  Hamilton  (§201)  persuaded  Congress  to  establish  the 
first  Bank  of  the  United  States  at  Philadelphia  (1791).  Congress 
also  established  the  first  United  States  mint  at  the  same  place 


Movement  Westward  of  the  Center  of  Population  from 
1790  to  1910 

In  1790  the  center  of  population  (that  is,  the  geographical  point  where  the  population  is 
equal  in  number  in  all  directions)  was  about  twenty-five  miles  east  of  Baltimore.    It 
has  since  moved  westward,  on  nearly  the  same  parallel,  at  the  rate  of  about  forty- 
seven  miles  every  ten  years.  (The  centers  of  population  are  shown  by  stars.) 

(1792).  The  Bank  supplied  the  country  with  paper  money,  which 
could  be  used  throughout  the  states.  This  was  an  immense  help 
to  all  business  men. 

With  the  opening  of  the  mint  we  began  our  decimal  system  of 
coinage,  —  ten  cents  make  a  dime,  ten  dimes  a  dollar  ;  no  system 
could  be  simpler  or  more  convenient. 

203.  The  Rise  of  Political  Parties;  Arrival  of  "Citizen" 
Genet;  Washington's  Proclamation  of  Neutrality.  The  discus- 
sion in  Congress  over  the  question  of  establishing  the  Bank  of 
the  United  States  (§  202)  gave  rise  to  the  first  two  regularly 
organized  political  parties  —  the  Federalist  and  the  Republican. 


Alexander  Hamilton 


181 


1 82       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1793-1797 

The  members  of  the  last-named  party  later  called  themselves 
Democratic-Republicans,  but  finally  took  the  name  Democrats, 
which  name  they  still  retain.  (The  Republican  party  of  the  present 
day  did  not  come  into  existence  until  nearly  sixty  years  after  the 
death  of  Washington.)  Alexander  Hamilton  led  the  Federalist 
party  and  Thomas  Jefferson  the  Republican  or,  as  we  should  say, 
the  Democratic  party. 

The  Federalists  believed  in  establishing  a  powerful  national 
government,  in  order  to  keep  the  new-formed  Union  together. 
They  thought  that  the  proposed  Bank  of  the  United  States  would 
help  this. 

The  Republicans  believed  that  the  liberty  of  the  people  could 
best  be  preserved  by  strengthening  the  state  governments.  They 
feared  that  the  national  government,  advocated  by  the  Federal- 
ists, might  lead  to  a  monarchy.  For  this  reason  they  strenuously, 
but  vainly,  opposed  the  establishing  of  the  Bank  of  the  United 
States. 

During  Washington's  second  presidency  (i  793-1 797)  France 
was  engaged  in  a  terrible  revolution.  The  people  had  declared 
themselves  a  republic  and  beheaded  their  King.  This  led  to  a 
war  between  France  and  England.  The  French  sent  a  minister 
to  this  country  (1793)  to  get  help  to  fight  the  English.  He  was 
styled  "Citizen"  Genet,  for,  having  abolished  all  titles  of  honor 
and  respect,  the  French  could  not  endure  even  so  simple  a  title 
as  Mr.  He  came  here  expecting  to  obtain  ships,  money,  and  aid 
from  the  government.  Thousands  of  our  people  welcomed  him 
with  wild  enthusiasm.  But  Washington  feared  that  if  "  Citizen  " 
Genet  had  his  own  way  he  would  speedily  drag  the  country  into 
a  new  war  with  England. 

The  President  therefore  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality 
(I793)>  stating  that  we  should  take  no  part  in  European  quarrels. 
This  proclamation  so  maddened  the  excitable  Genet  that  he  en- 
deavored to  stir  up  a  mob  in  Philadelphia,  to  pull  Washington 
from  his  seat  of  office,  and  overturn  the  government  of  the  United 
States.  The  result  was  that,  at  Washington's  protest,  France  re- 
called her  minister,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  him. 


1797] 


EMIGRATION  TO  THE  WEST 


183 


204.  Emigration  to  the  West ;  Cincinnati.  Meanwhile,  a  great 
movement  of  population  had  begun  toward  the  country  west  of 
the  Alleghenies,  —  that  section  in  which  Washington  had  so  deep 
an  interest  (§  138).  Sevier,  Robertson,  and  other  pioneers  from 
the  Carolinas  had  built  cabins  in  the  Tennessee  country ;  and 
Daniel  Boone,  the  famous  hunter  from  the  same  region,  followed 
by  his  bold  companions,  had  chopped  a  narrow  path  across  the 
wilderness  to  Kentucky ;  by  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  the 
Americans  had  got  a  firm  foot- 
hold in  that  fertile  region. 

Emigrants  crossed  the  moun- 
tains and  formed  settlements 
on  the  rich  lands  of  the  Ohio 
Valley.  Marietta,  on  that  river, 
was  already  established  (1788). 
A  cluster  of  log  huts,  which 
had  been  built  further  down 
the  river  in  the  same  year,  now 
(1790)  received  the  name  of 
Cincinnati.1  There,  not  long 
after  (1793),  the  first  west- 
ern newspaper  —  the  Sentinel 
of  the  Northivest  —  was  pub- 
lished, and  the  corner  stone 
laid  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  the  first  of  all  that  magnificent  group  of 
states  formed  from  the  Northwest  Territory  (§  195),  which  were 
one  by  one  (1 803-1 848)  to  knock  at  the  doors  of  Congress  and 
gain  admission  to  the  Union. 

These  settlements  were  made  at  heavy  cost  of  life.  The  Indians 
rose,  resolved  to  kill  or  drive  out  the  invaders.  After  four  years 
of  fighting  the  savages  were  defeated  in  a  final  battle.  General 
Wayne  (§  183)  —  "the  chief  that  never  slept" — forced  them  to 
sign  a  treaty  of  peace  (1795)  by  which  they  gave  up  the  greater 
part  of  the  Ohio  country  to  the  whites. 

1  The  city  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  (a  name  derived  from 
Cincinnatus,  a  noted  Roman  patriot).  The  society  was  organized  by  the  officers  of  the 
Revolutionary  army,  headed  by  Washington. 


Boone's  Wilderness  Road 


1 84       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1797 


205.  The  Manufacture  of  Cotton;  Whitney  invents  the  Cotton 
Gin,  1793;  Results.  The  year  (1793)  that  the  printing  press 
in  that  enterprising  log  city  of  Cincinnati  began  sending  out  its 
weekly  budget  of  news  (§  204)  a  great  event  occurred  among  the 
cotton  planters  at  the  South. 

Before  Washington  became  President  attempts  had  been  made 
to  establish  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  by  hand,  in  the  United 
States.  Moses  Brown,  a  Providence  Quaker,  wrote  to  Samuel 
Slater  in  England,  urging  him  to  emigrate  to  this  country  and  set 
up  a  cotton-spinning  mill  here.  He  said  to  him,  "  If  thou  canst 
do  this  thing,  I  invite  thee  to  come  to  Rhode  Island  and  have 
the  credit  of  introducing  cotton  manufacture  (by  water  power)  in 

America."  Mr.  Slater  was 
just  the  man  who  could  "  do 
this  thing,"  and  he  did  it 
at  Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island 
(1790). 

Yet  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  did  not  grow  rapidly 
because  the  southern  states 
had  not  then  found  any 
quick  method  of  freeing  the 
common  cotton  fiber  from 
the  multitude  of  seeds  it 
contains.  By  working  a  whole  day  a  negro  could  only  clean  about 
a  pound.    This  made  raw  cotton  expensive. 

In  1793  Eli  Whitney,  a  Massachusetts  teacher,  then  living  in 
Georgia,  invented  a  machine  which  he  called  the  "  cotton  gin." 
By  using  this  new  machine  a  negro  could  easily  clean  at  least 
300  pounds  of  cotton  a  day. 

This  changed  the  whole  question  of  cotton  production  and  cot- 
ton manufacture  in  this  country.  The  result  was  soon  seen.  In 
1784  we  had  exported  8  bags,  or  about  3000  pounds,  of  cotton 
to  Liverpool.  It  was  seized  by  the  English  customhouse  officers, 
on  the  ground  that  the  United  States  could  not  have  produced 
such  a  "prodigious  quantity,"  and  that  the  captain  of  the  vessel 


The  Cotton  Gin 


1803-1814]     WHITNEY  INVENTS  THE  COTTON  GIN  185 

must  have  smuggled  it  from  some  other  country.  Ten  years  after 
Whitney  had  put  his  machine  into  operation  (1803)  we  were  ex- 
porting over  100,000  bags  of  cotton,  or  more  than  40,000,000 
pounds,  and  every  year  saw  an  enormous  increase.  The  effect  of 
Whitney's  invention  was  equally  marked  here.  Up  to  this  time, 
and  much  later,  the  cotton  yarn  spun  in  our  mills  was  all  woven 
into  cloth  by  hand  in  private  houses.  But  Francis  C.  Lowell  of 
Massachusetts  determined  to  establish  a  cotton  factory  on  a  large 
scale,  which  could  produce  cloth  like  that  made  in  England.  He 
constructed  the  first  loom  operated  by  water  power  in  America. 
He  then  built  the  first  cotton  mill  in  the  world  at  Waltham, 
Massachusetts,  in  which  the  raw  material,  just  as  it  came  from 
Whitney's  cotton  gin,  was  spun  into  thread,  woven  into  cloth, 
and  printed  in  colors  all  under  one  roof  (18 14).  Later,  the  great 
cotton-manufacturing  city  of  Lowell  was  named  in  his  honor. 

Before  this,  many  men  in  both  sections  of  the  country  had 
deplored  the  holding  of  slaves.  They  had  earnestly  discussed  how 
to  rid  the  country  of  what  was  felt  to  be  -  both  an  evil  in  itself 
and  a  danger  to  the  nation.  The  invention  of  the  cotton  gin  put 
a  stop  to  this  discussion  in  great  measure ;  for  now  the  Southern 
planters  and  the  Northern  manufacturers  of  cotton  both  found  it 
to  their  interest  to  keep  the  negro  in  bondage,  since  by  his  labor 
they  were  rapidly  growing  rich. 

To  sum  up  :  Whitney's  great  invention  of  1793  did  four  things  : 

1.  It  stimulated  the  production  of  cotton  and  made  it  one  of 
the  leading  industries  of  the  country. 

2.  It  increased  our  cotton  exports  enormously. 

3.  It  caused  the  building  of  great  numbers  of  cotton  mills  at 
the  North. 

4.  It  made  a  large  class,  both  North  and  South,  interested  in 
maintaining  slave  labor.1 

1  Whitney  received  $50,000  for  his  invention  from  South  Carolina,  besides  something 
from  several  other  southern  states.   Other  notable  American  inventors  of  this  period  were : 

(1)  Oliver  Evans  of  Newport,  Delaware,  who,  about  1780,  invented  the  grain  elevator,  and 
made  such  improvements  in  milling  that  he  "  effected  a  revolution  in  the  manufacture  of 
flour."    In  1803  he  constructed  the  first  steam  dredge  for  deepening  the  channels  of  rivers. 

(2)  Jacob  Perkins  of  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  invented  (1790)  the  first  practical  nail 
machine  ;  it  was  capable  of  cutting  out  two  hundred  thousand  nails  a  day.    Formerly,  all  nails 


1 86       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1814 


206.  The  Whisky  Rebellion ;  Treaty  with  Spain.  During  Wash- 
ington's second  term  of  office,  the  government,  finding  that  it  needed 
more  money,  imposed  (1 794)  a  heavy  duty  or  tax  on  the  manufacture 
of  whisky.  The  whisky  producers  in  western  Pennsylvania  refused 
to  pay  the  duty,  tarred  and  feathered  one  officer  sent  to  collect  it, 
and  flogged  a  second  one  with  beech  rods.  Next,  they  took  up 
arms  to  resist  the  law. 

Washington  sent  an  army  of  1 5,000  men,  mostly  Pennsylvanians, 
to  teach  them  how  to  behave.    When  the  whisky  distillers  and  their 

friends  caught  sight  of  the 
muskets,  they  prudently 
dispersed.  They  saw  that 
if  any  shooting  was  to  be 
done,  the  President  could 
do  a  good  deal  more  than 
they  could. 

The  following  year  (1 795) 
the  United  States  made  a 
very  important  treaty  with 
Spain.  It  secured  the  right 
to  the  southwestern  states  i 
to  send  their  corn  and 
pork  to  the  Spanish  port 
of  New  Orleans  and  ship 
it  abroad.  The  treaty  also 
recognized  the  right  of  the 
United  States  to  territory  west  of  Georgia,  which  Spain  had  claimed 
as  part  of  her  possessions.    (Map,  p.  172.) 

207.  Jay's  Treaty  with  England  (1795).  The  treaty  of  peace 
with  Great  Britain,  made  in  1783  (§  191),  had  not  been  satisfac- 
torily carried  out  by  either  party.  We  had  promised  to  pay  certain 
debts  due  to  British  subjects,  and  they  complained  that  we  did  not 
keep  our  word.    On  the  other  hand,  England  persisted  in  holding 

were  made  by  hand.  Later,  he  invented  a  greatly  improved  machine  for  "  calico  printing." 
(3)  Asa  Whittemore  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  invented  (1797)  a  machine  for  making 
wire  cards  for  carding  wool,  "  which  operated,  and  still  continues  to  operate,  as  if  it  had  a 
soul."    On  later  American  inventions  see  §§  220,  252,  284. 


The  Whisky  Rebellion.    Beech  Rods 


1814]  JAY'S  TREATY  187 

forts  at  Detroit  and  elsewhere  along  our  northern  frontier,  though 
she  had  agreed  to  give  them  up  to  us.  The  English  also  interfered 
with  our  trade  with  France.  Chief  Justice  Jay  (§  200)  went  to  Eng- 
land and  obtained  a  new  treaty  (1 795).  It  did  not  satisfy  the  people, 
who  thought  that  the  English  were  getting  the  best  of  the  bar- 
gain ;  but  the  forts  were  given  up  to  us.  Washington  signed  the 
treaty  because  he  believed  that  we  could  not  then  demand  any- 
thing better. 

Certain  newspapers  attacked  him  and  Jay  in. the  most  violent 
manner,  and  Washington,  worn  out  with  their  abuse,  declared  that 
"  he  would  rather  be  in  his  grave  than  in  the  presidency."  The 
majority  of  the  people,  however,  stood  firmly  by  the  man  who  had 
brought  them  through  so  many  dangers,  and  Congress  confirmed 
the  treaty.  When  Washington  retired  from  office  he  issued  a  fare- 
well address  in  which  he  besought  his  fellow-citizens  to  cherish 
affection  for  each  other,  to  cherish  their  love  for  the  Union,  and 
to  "  observe  good  faith  and  justice  towards  all  nations." 

He  left  the  whole  country  in  every  way  stronger  and  more 
prosperous  than  he  had  found  it,  and  with  the  three  new  states 
of  Vermont,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee  (1 791-1796)  added  to 
the  Union. 

208.  Summary.  Washington,  the  first  President  of  the  United 
States,  held  office  for  two  terms  (1 789-1 797).  During  that  time 
he,  with  his  cabinet,  got  the  new  government  into  practical  opera- 
tion, and  through  the  wise  counsel  of  Hamilton  our  national  credit 
was  solidly  established.  Washington's  efforts  prevented  the  nation 
from  getting  entangled  in  European  wars  at  a  time  when  our  great- 
est need  was  peace.  He  also  succeeded  in  making  a  very  important 
treaty  with  Spain  and  another  with  England.  Three  new  states  had 
been  added  ;  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  had  taken  firm  root,  and  the 
vigorous  life  of  the  West  had  begun.  Whitney's  invention  of  the 
cotton  gin  had  an  immense  effect  on  manufacturing  and  commerce, 
greatly' increasing  the  wealth  of  both  North  and  South,  but  unfortu- 
nately it  also  fastened  slave  labor  on  the  country. 


1 88       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1797-1801 

John  Adams  (Federalist) 

209.  Adams*  Administration  (Second  President,  One  Term, 
1797-1801);  the  "X.  Y.  Z.  Papers."  Mr.  Adams'1  presidency 
began  with  strong  prospects  of  war  with  France.  The  French 
were  enraged  because  we  did  not  take  sides  with  them  in  their 
contest  with  Great  Britain  (§  203).  They  captured  our  merchant 
vessels,  sold  them  openly  in  French  ports,  and  insulted  the  states- 
men sent  by  us  to  France  to  represent  the  United  States.  Finally, 
certain  private  agents  of  the  French  authorities  made  demands, 
threatening  war  unless  we  bribed  them  with  money — "much 
money  "  —  to  keep  peace.  Pinckney,  one  of  our  representatives 
in  France,  indignant  at  such  treatment,  replied,  "  Millions  for 
defense ;  not  one  cent  for  tribute." 

President  Adams  substituted  the  letters  X.  Y.  Z.  for  the  names 
of  the  French  agents,  and  sent  a  full  report  of  the  demands  to 
Congress.  The  "  X.  Y.  Z.  Papers  "  roused  the  whole  country, 
and  Pinckney's  defiant  words  were  echoed  throughout  America, 
for  sooner  than  spend  a  single  copper  in  buying  peace  we  were 
ready  to  fight  at  any  cost.  War  soon  broke  out,  and  our  sailors, 
with  shouts  of  "  Hail  Columbia,"  the  new  song  which  every  Amer- 
ican was  then  singing,  fought  and  captured  several  French  vessels. 
When  Napoleon  Bonaparte  came  into  power  in  France  (1799), 
he  speedily  made  peace. 

210.  The  Alien  and  the  Sedition  Laws;  the  Kentucky  and  Vir- 
ginia Resolutions  (1798-1799);  Death  of  Washington.  Several 
of  the  American  newspapers  were  edited  by  foreigners,  or  by  men 
who  sympathized  with  France  and  were  anxious  to  force  us  into  a 
war  with  England.    To  put  a  stop  to  their  constant  abuse  of  the 

1  John  Adams  was  born  in  Braintree,  near  Boston,  in  1735  ;  died  1826.  Thomas  Jefferson 
said  of  him  that  w  he  was  the  ablest  advocate  and  champion  of  independence  "  in  the  Con- 
gress of  1776.  He  was  one  of  the  commissioners  who  negotiated  the  treaty  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution ;  and  he  was  shortly  after  sent  as  minister  from 
the  United  States  to  England.  He  was  elected  by  the  Federalists  (§  203)  by  only  three 
electoral  votes  over  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  Republican  (or  Democratic)  candidate  (Adams 
had  71  votes,  Jefferson  68).  Mr.  Adams  used  to  call  himself  "  the  President  of  three  votes." 
According  to  the  law  (since  changed)  (see  the  Constitution,  Article  II,  Paragraph  3),  the 
candidate  for  President  getting  the  largest  vote  next  to  the  one  elected  was  made  Vice 
President.   This  law  gave  that  office  to  Jefferson. 


1798-] 


DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON 


189 


government,  Congress,  with  the 
approval  of  Mr.  Adams,  passed 
(1798)  the  Alien  and  the  Sedition 
Laws.  The  Alien  Law  gave  the 
President  the  power  to  banish  any 
alien  or  foreigner  from  the  coun- 
try whose  influence  he  thought 
dangerous  to  our  welfare.  The 
President  never  enforced  the  law. 
The  Sedition  Law  undertook  to 
punish  persons  who  should  speak, 
write,  or  publish  anything  false 
or  malicious  against  the  President 
or  the  government  of  the  United 
States.  Under  it  several  persons 
were  heavily  fined,  and  at  least 
one  was  imprisoned. 

The  legislatures  of  Kentucky 
and  Virginia  passed  resolutions 
1 798-1799)  which  denounced  the 
lien  and  Sedition  Laws  as  dan- 
gerous, and  contrary  to  the  Consti- 
tution. They  furthermore  declared 
that  should  the  President  persist  in 
enforcing  them,  the  states  would 
have  the  right  to  refuse  to  obey 
his  commands.  Both  laws  soon 
passed  out  of  existence ;  but  the 
idea  that  states  might  resist  the 
national  government,  if  they  saw 
fit,  was  destined  to  make  trouble 
many  years  later  in  South  Caro- 
lina (§§  267-269)  and  in  the  end  it 
resulted  in  civil  war  (1 861-1865). 
During  the  excitement  caused  by 
these  unpopular  laws,  Washington 


1 1  nam  1 11 .1  niMM    1  i'  ■i.trge 

]Sew-YbrK,  Becember  at 


fc~« 


IT  is  with  the  deepeft  grief  tna£ 
we  announce  to  the  public  the  deatft 
of  our  moji  dlflinguijhed  fellow-citf- 
zeil  Lieut.  General  George  Wajbing- 
(on. 

The  grief  which  we  fuffer  on  this 
truly  mournful  occafion,  would'  be 
fome  degree  aleviated,  if  we  pof- 
feffed  abiliries  to  do  jufticc  to  thi 
merits  of  this  illujlrious  benefaftar  a 
mankind ;  but,  confeious  of  our  in- 
eriority,  we  fhrink  from  the  fubli* 
mity  of  the  fubjecl:. 

Our  feelings,  however,  will 
not  permit  us  to  forbear  obferving, 
that  the  very  difinterefted  and  im- 
ponant  fervices  rendered  by  George 
Wajbington  to  tbefe  United  btatO, 
both  in  the  Field  and  in  the  Cabinet, 
have  erc&ed  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen,  monuments  of  finceri 
and  unbounded  gratitude",  which 
the  mouldering  hand  of  Time_can 
not  deface ;  and  that  in  every  quar 
ter  of  the  Globe,  where  a  tree  Go- 
v«mtuent  I*  ranked  amongft  the 
cnoiceil  bte/Hngs  of  Providence,  and 
virtue*  morality -,  religion*  and  patric 
tifm  are  refpeded,  THE  NAME  of 
WASHINGTON  will  be  held  in 
veneration.  . 


190       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1799 

died  at  his  home  at  Mt.  Vernon  (1799).  The  whole  country  united 
to  do  honor  to  the  memory  of  him  who  was  "  first  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellow-citizens  " ;  Bonaparte 
ordered  public  mourning  for  him  in  France,  and  Lord  Bridport, 
commander  of  a  British  fleet  of  nearly  sixty  men-of-war,  lying  off 
the  coast  of  England,  testified  his  respect  by  ordering  his  flags  to 
be  lowered  to  half-mast. 

211.  Summary.  The  four  chief  events  of  Adams'  presidency 
were  (1)  the  excitement  caused  by  the  "  X.  Y.  Z.  Papers,"  fol- 
lowed by  war  on  the  sea  with  France ;  (2)  the  passage  of  the 
Alien  and  the  Sedition  Laws ;  (3)  the  Kentucky  and  the  Virginia 
Resolutions ;  and  (4)  the  death  of  Washington. 


VI 

"Whenever  our  affairs  go  obviously  wrong,  the  good  sense  of  the  people 
will  interpose  and  set  them  right." — Jefferson's  Writings. 

THE  DEMOCRATIC  PARTY  IN  POWER 

Thomas  Jefferson  (Democrat)1 

212.  Jefferson's  Administration  (Third  President,  Two  Terms, 
1 801-1809);  "Republican  Simplicity  "  ;  the  New  National  Capi- 
tal ;  Jefferson's  Appointments  to  Office.  The  new  President 2  called 
himself  a  Democratic-Republican,  or,  as  we  should  say  to-day,  a 
Democrat  (§  203).  He  prided  himself  on  taking  his  stand  with 
the  people.  In  dress,  manners,  and  ideas  he  was  quite  different 
from  the  Federalist  Presidents,  Washington  and  Adams.  They 
both  thought  it  proper  for  the  head  of  the  nation  to  stand  a  little 
apart  from  the  people ;  both  were  opposed  to  monarchy,  yet  they 

1  Reference  Books  (Jefferson  to  J.  Q.  Adams,  inclusive).  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Forma- 
tion of  the  Union,"  ch.  9-12  ;  W.  C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "  United  States  "  (revised 
edition),  IV,  145-291;  E.  Channing's  "The  Jeffersonian  System";  K.  C.  Bab- 
cock's  "  Rise  of  American  Nationality  "  (War  of  181 2,  etc.) ;  F.  J.  Turner's  "Rise 
of  the  New  West  "  ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "American  History  by  Contemporaries,"  ch.  16- 
23;  A.  B.  Hart's  "Source  Book,"  ch.  12-14;  J-  Schouler's  "United  States,"  II, 
III,  ch.  10-12;  J.  B.  McMaster's  "United  States,"  II,  526-635;  III,  IV,  V, 
1-523.    See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books  in  the  Appendix. 

2  Thomas  Jefferson  was  born  1743,  at  Shadwell,  Virginia;  died  1826.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Continental  Congress  and  drafted  the  Declaration  of  Independence ;  he  also  drew  up 
the  Act  of  Religious  Freedom  adopted  by  Virginia  through  Madison's  influence  in  1785. 
He  proposed  our  present  decimal  system  of  coinage  and  secured  its  acceptance.  In  1785  he 
was  sent  to  France  to  succeed  Franklin  as  minister  of  the  United  States.  On  his  tombstone 
is  the  following  epitaph  written  by  himself :  "  Here  was  buried  Thomas  Jefferson,  author  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  of  the  Statute  of  Virginia  for  Religious  Freedom,  and  the 
father  of  the  University  of  Virginia."  The  presidential  election  of  November,  1800,  was  a 
time  of  great  excitement,  and  of  bitter  strife  between  the  Federalists  and  the  Republicans 
(or  Democrats  (§  203)).  Thomas  Jefferson  of  Virginia  and  Aaron  Burr  of  New  Jersey  were 
the  Republican  candidates.  Each  received  73  electoral  votes  ;  while  John  Adams,  the  Feder- 
alist candidate,  got  but  65.  In  such  a  case  the  House  of  Representatives  —  a  majority  of 
whom  were  Federalists  —  had  to  decide  the  election  ;  they  finally  voted  in  favor  of  Jefferson, 
and  he  was  declared  President,  with  Burr  for  Vice  President.  This  period  marks  the  down- 
fall of  the  Federalists  ;  for  the  next  forty  years  the  Democrats  held  control. 

I9I 


192       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1801 

kept  up  something  of  the  dignity  and  ceremony  of  a  king.  Jef- 
ferson preferred,  on  the  contrary,  "  republican  simplicity  "  in  all 
things,  and  was  ready  to  receive  and  shake  hands  with  any  one 
and  every  one  that  wanted  to  shake  hands  with  him. 

Jefferson  took  the  oath  of  office  (§  199)  in  the  new  capitol, 
which  was  ridiculed  as  a  "  palace  in  the  woods."  It  stood  on  a 
hill  in  the  "  city  of  Washington"  (§  199),  then  nothing  but  a 
straggling  village  of  a  few  hundred  inhabitants.  Washington,  for 
whom  it  was  named,  had  himself  chosen  the  ground  for  the  city. 

When  Jefferson  entered  office  he  found  only  Federalists  (§§  196, 
203)  in  the  employ  of  the  government.  He  naturally  wished  that 
men  of  his  own  party  should  hold  such  offices,  and  when  oppor- 
tunities came  he  appointed  Democrats  to  fill  them.  From  this 
time  on,  for  many  years,  each  new  President  gave  government 
employment  to  those  who  had  voted  for  him. 

213.  What  was  thought  of  the  Probable  Extent  of  the  Republic. 
Eminent  men  of  that  day  thought  it  very  doubtful  whether  the 
American  republic  could  permanently  extend  into  the  wilderness 
beyond  the  Allegheny  Mountains.  Many  agreed  with  them,  and 
believed  that  in  time  the  country  would  be  divided  into  several 
nations.  They  thought  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  President 
to  enforce  the  laws  over  a  territory  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Mississippi.  When  we  consider  that  there  were  then  no  steam- 
boats, canals,  or  railways  to  bind  the  states  together,  and  in  fact 
very  few  good  ordinary  roads,  it  does  not  seem  strange  that  men 
of  sound  judgment  should  have  thought  so. 

214.  What  Our  New  Navy  taught  the  Pirates  of  Tripoli.  For 
many  years  Tripoli  and  other  towns  on  the  north  coast  of  Africa 
had  been  nests  of  Mohammedan  pirates.  They  sent  out  fast-sailing 
armed  vessels  to  capture  the  ships  of  Christians  coming  to  the 
Mediterranean  to  trade. 

European  nations  had  made  repeated  efforts  to  break  up  this 
system  of  robbery,  but  had  not  succeeded.  Even  Great  Britain 
was  obliged  to  pay  the  governors  of  Algiers  and  Tripoli  large 
sums  of  money  every  year  in  order  to  protect  her  commerce  in 
that  quarter  of  the  globe.    We,  too,  felt  obliged  to  buy  the  good 


1801-1803]  NATIONAL  EXPANSION  193 

will  of  these  pirates.  At  one  time  we  paid  the  ruler  of  Tripoli 
$20,000  a  year  to  let  our  merchant  vessels  sail  the  Mediterranean 
in  peace.  Furthermore,  we  spent  $1,000,000  in  freeing  Ameri- 
can sailors  that  were  held  as  slaves  in  Tripoli.  Part  of  this  money 
was  given  by  the  government  and  part  of  it  was  collected  in  the 
churches  on  Sunday. 

The  Governor  of  Tripoli,  disappointed  because  we  did  not  yield 
to  his  demands  and  give  him  a  still  larger  tribute,  declared  war 
(1 801)  against  the  United  States.  Jefferson  was  a  man  of  peace, 
but  he  believed  with  Benjamin  Franklin  that  "  if  you  make  your- 
self a  sheep,  the  wolves  will  eat  you."  He  thought  we  had  been 
sheep  long  enough.  The  United  States  had  recently  completed 
(1 798-1 799)  a  small  fleet  of  first-class  war  ships.  They  were  com- 
manded by  such  men  as  Barry  (§  169),  Bainbridge,  Decatur,  Preble, 
and  Truxtun.  The  President  sent  them  out  to  Tripoli,  and  they  soon 
made  the  ruler  of  that  place  confess  his  sins  and  beg  for  mercy. 

The  Pope  declared  that  the  Americans  had  done  more  toward 
punishing  the  insolent  power  of  the  Mohammedan  pirates  than  all 
the  nations  of  Europe  put  together.  The  Governor  of  Tripoli  was 
glad  to  make  a  new  treaty  (1805)  with  the  United  States.  He  gave 
up  asking  tribute  from  us,  and  he  agreed  to  let  our  merchant  ships 
and  sailors  alone  in  future. 

215.  Our  First  Step  in  National  Expansion,  Purchase  of  Loui- 
siana Territory,  1803.  While  this  war  with  Tripoli  was  going  on, 
the  greatest  event  of  Jefferson's  presidency  occurred.  France  had 
recovered  possession  of  the  province  of  Louisiana  (1800),  includ- 
ing New  Orleans  (§  143).  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  was  then  about 
to  engage  in  a  tremendous  contest  with  England,  was  afraid  that 
when  war  broke  out  the  English  would  send  over  a  fleet  and  take 
Louisiana  out  of  his  hands.  For  that  reason  he  was  willing  to  sell 
it  to  the  United  States  —  especially  as  the  money  would  help  him 
to  fit  out  his  armies  against  Great  Britain.  In  1803,  the  year  that 
Ohio  entered  the  Union,  President  Jefferson  bought  the  whole  terri- 
tory of  Louisiana  for  $15,000,000.  By  so  doing  he  got  the  very 
heart  of  the  American  continent,  reaching  from  the  Mississippi 
back  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.    He  thus,  at  one  stroke,  more  than 


194       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1803-1805 


doubled  the  area  of  the  United  States,  getting  nearly  900,000 
square  miles,  or  over  560,000,000  acres,  for  less  than  three  cents 
an  acre.    (Map,  p.  194.) 

There  were  people  who  grumbled  at  the  purchase.  Some  even 
denied  that  Jefferson  had  the  right  to  make  it,  — but  the  majority 
heartily  supported  the  President.  He  himself  confessed  that  he 
had  stretched  his  power  "  till  it  cracked,"  in  order  to  complete  the 
bargain.    In  reality  Jefferson  showed  his  statesmanship  in  the  act. 

The  Purchase  of  Louisiana  did 
these  four  things : 

1 .  It  prevented  disputes  with 
France  about  the  territory. 

2 .  It  prevented  England  from 
getting  control  of  it. 

3.  It  gave  us  a  large  part  of 
the  Great  West  —  that  is,  all 
of  it  beyond  the  Mississippi  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

4.  It  made  us  masters  of  the 
entire  Mississippi  River,  with 
the  city  of  New  Orleans  to  boot. 

216.  Lewis  and  Clark's  Ex- 
ploration of  the  Far  West ;  Our 
Claim  to  Oregon.  The  next  year 
(1804)  the  President  sent  out  an  expedition  under  Lewis  and  Clark 
to  explore  the  new  territory.  They  started  from  St.  Louis  (May  14, 
1804),  then  a  little  village  of  log  cabins,  and  worked  their  way, 
in  boats,  up  the  Missouri.  About  the  middle  of  July  (1805)  they 
reached  the  "Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,"1  a  long,  deep, 
narrow  gorge,  through  which  the  river  forces  its  way.  This  point 
is  over  twenty-six  hundred  miles  from  St.  Louis,  and  it  had  taken 
the  explorers  more  than  a  year  to  get  to  it.    With  an  Indian  girl 

1  The  "  Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains"  are  near  the  point  where  Helena, .the  capital  of 
Montana,  is  now  situated.  A  short  distance  above,  the  Jefferson,  Gallatin,  and  Madison  rivers 
unite  to  form  the  Missouri.  Lewis  and  Clark  ascended  the  Jefferson  to  its  source,  crossed  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  embarked  on  a  branch  of  the  Snake,  or  Lewis,  River,  which  flows  into 
the  Columbia. 


Jefferson  signing  the  Louisiana 
Purchase  Papers 


1805-1806]        LEWIS  AND  CLARK'S  EXPLORATION 


195 


for  their  guide,  they  made  their  way  across  the  mountains  to  the 
head  waters  of  a  stream  flowing  westward. 

Launching  their  canoes  (October  7,  1805)  on  its  swift  current, 
they  floated  down  till  they  entered  a  far  larger  river.  Down  this 
they  drifted,  sometimes  through  perilous  rapids,  until  they  came  at 
last  (November  7,  1805)  to  its  mouth.  A  dense  fog  hid  everything. 
When  it  lifted,  they  found  themselves  within  sight  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  The  river  they  had  descended  was  that  which  Captain 
Robert  Gray  of  Boston  (who  first  carried  the  American  flag  round  the 
globe)  entered  from  the  Pacific,  and  named  the  Columbia  (1792); 
he  thus  gave  us  our 
first  claim  to  Oregon. 

The  explorers  re- 
turned the  next  year 
(1806)  to  St.  Louis. 
They  had  been  ab- 
sent nearly  two  years 
and  a  half.  They  had 
traveled,  in  all,  over 
eight  thousand  miles, 
in  boats,  on  horseback, 
and  on  foot,  through  a 
wilderness  peopled  only 
by  savages.  Lewis  and 
Clark's  expedition  gave 

the  people  of  this  country  their  first  idea  of  the  immense  extent,  un- 
limited natural  wealth,  and  almost  fabulous  wonders  of  the  Far  West. 

But  the  most  important  result  of  the  expedition  was  that  it  gave 
the  United  States  a  much  stronger  claim  to  the  Oregon  territory, 
which  Captain  Gray  had  entered,  but  which  Lewis  and  Clark  first 
crossed.  Five  years  later  (181 1)  John  Jacob  Astor *  of  New  York, 
then  the  richest  man  in  America,  built  the  fur-trading  post  of 
Astoria,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River.    (Map,  p.  194.) 

1  Astor  planned  a  line  of  fur-trading  posts,  extending  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the 
Pacific,  and  thence  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  China.  The  War  of  1812  put  a  stop  to  this 
immense  undertaking.  He  died  in  1848,  leaving  a  property  of  twenty  million  dollars,  which 
has  since  increased  enormously. 


Lewis  and  Clark  at  the  Gates  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains 


196       LEADING  FACTS' OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1807 

217.  Effect  of  the  French  and  English  War  on  the  United 
States;  the  Leopard  and  the  Chesapeake.  During  all  this  time 
France  and  England  continued  at  war  (§  203).  Each  of  these 
nations  forbade  the  United  States  to  trade  with  the  other.  This 
in  itself  was  disastrous  to  our  commerce ;  but,  as  if  this  was  not 
enough,  England  insisted  on  stopping  our  vessels  on  the  ocean 
and  searching  them  for  British  sailors.  Unless  a  man  could  prove 
that  he  was  an  American  by  birth,  the  English  seized  him,  espe- 
cially if  he  was  an  able-bodied  seaman,  and  compelled  him  to  enter 
their  service.  In  this  way  they  had  helped  themselves  to  several 
thousand  men,  whom  they  forced  to  fight  for  them  on  board  their 
ships  of  war.  Finally  (1807),  the  British  man-of-war  Leopard 
stopped  the  Chesapeake,  one  of  our  war  vessels,  at  a  time  when 
the  latter  could  make  no  effectual  resistance,  and  seized  four  of 
her  men,  one  of  whom  they  hanged  as  a  deserter. 

218.  The  Embargo  and  the  Non-Intercourse  Acts.  Congress 
passed  the  Embargo  Act  (1807)  to  put  an  end  to  these  outrages. 
The  Embargo  forbade  the  sailing  of  any  American  vessel  from 
any  of  our  ports,  —  even  a  fishing  smack  found  it  difficult  to  leave 
Boston  to  get  mackerel.  Congress  hoped  that  by  stopping  all  trade 
with  Europe  we  should  be  able  to  starve  France  and  England  into 
treating  us  with  respect. 

But  we  did  not  starve  them  ;  our  exports  fell  off  $40,000,000  in  a 
single  year,  and  the  loss  of  trade  caused  great  distress  and  discontent. 

At  last  New  England  grew  desperate ;  there  seemed  danger 
of  rebellion,  possibly  of  disunion,  if  the  Embargo  Act  was  not 
repealed.  Congress  did  repeal  it,  and  (1809)  passed  an  act,  called 
the  Non- Intercourse  Act,  which  forbade  the  people  to  trade  with 
Great  Britain  and  France,  but  gave  them  liberty  to  trade  with 
other  foreign  countries.  But  though  our  exports  rose,  yet  many 
men  who  had  been  engaged  in  commerce  turned  their  attention 
now  to  manufacturing.  This  was  one  of  the  important  results  of 
the  Non-Intercourse  Act,  since  many  of  the  manufactories  of  the 
country  had  their  beginning  at  that  time.     - 

219.  Burr  tried  for  Treason.  Meanwhile  (1807),  Aaron  Burr, 
who  had  been  Vice  President  during  Jefferson's  first  term,  was  tried 


1807] 


"FULTON'S  FOLLY 


197 


for  treason.1  Burr  had  shot  Alexander  Hamilton  (§§  196,  200), 
his  political  opponent,  in  a  duel.  That  act,  hardly  different,  from 
downright  murder,  brought  him  into  disgrace.  Later,  Burr  planned 
an  enterprise  for  conquering  Texas,  which  was  then  part  of  Mexico, 
and  belonged  to  Spain.  He  probably  hoped  to  get  some  of  the 
western  states  to  join  him,  and  to  set  up  an  independent  nation  in 
the  southwest,  with  New  Orleans  for  its 
capital ;  he,  of  course,  meant  to  be  its 
chief  ruler.  Burr's  guilt  was  not  clearly 
proven,  and  he  was  permitted  to  go 
free.  He  died  in  obscurity  and  poverty 
in  New  York. 

220.  "Fulton's  Folly,"  1807.  In 
the  summer  of  the  same  year,  1807, 
Robert  Fulton  2  launched  his  newly  in- 
vented steamboat  on  the  Hudson.  He 
gave  notice  that  he  should  start  from 
New  York  City  for  Albany.  Up  to 
that  date  all  the  trade  and  travel  on 
the  river  had  been  either  by  sailing 
vessels  or  rowboats.     Men  called  the 

steamboat  "  Fulton's  Folly."  Thousands  gathered  at  the  wharf 
(August  17,  1807)  to  laugh  and  jeer  at  the  expected  failure  of 
the  invention. 

The  steamboat  —  the  Clermont  —  was  a  rude  affair,  with  un- 
covered paddle  wheels  and  clumsy  machinery.  Men  said  that  she 
was  as  "  helpless  as  a  log."  Presently  the  paddles  began  to  revolve. 
Then  the  "log"  was  no  longer  helpless.  "  She  moves  !  "  "  She 
moves !  "  shouted  the  astonished  crowd.    Sure  enough,  she  did 


Fulton's  Steamboat 


1  Treason :  an  attempt  to  overthrow  the  government  or  break  up  the  Union  by  force  of 
arms.  Burr  was  accused  of  having  intended  to  seize  New  Orleans  by  force  of  arms.  This 
charge  of  treason  was  set  aside  by  the  court  on  the  ground  that  the  Constitution  did  not 
uphold  it.    (See  Appendix,  the  Constitution,  Article  III,  Section  3.) 

2  Robert  Fulton  was  born  in  Fulton,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  1765.  He  was  of 
Irish  descent.  John  Fitch  of  Windsor,  Connecticut,  had  invented  a  steamboat  many  years 
before,  and  tried  in  vain  to  get  Benjamin  Franklin  to  help  him  make  it  a  success.  In  1798 
he  became  discouraged,  and  committed  suicide.  In  his  journal  he  left  these  words :  "  The 
day  will  come  when  some  more  powerful  man  will  get  fame  and  riches  from  my  invention." 


198       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1807-1800 

move ;  and  she  kept  on  moving  against  both  wind  and  current, 
until,  in  thirty-two  hours,  she  reached  Albany. 

In  a  few  years  Fulton's  great  invention  made  a  complete  change 
in  modes  of  travel.  Steamboats  were  put  on  the  Ohio,  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  the  Great  Lakes,  and  helped  to  open  up  and  settle  the 
western  part  of  the  United  States.  A  number  of  years  later  (i  8 19), 
the  ship  Savannah  was  fitted  up  with  paddle  wheels  that  could  be 
propelled  by  steam.  She  started  from  Savannah,  Georgia,  and 
crossed  the  Atlantic.  But  nothing  further  was  done  in  that  direc- 
tion for  twenty  years  ;  then  Great  Britain  sent  out  (1840)  the  first 
regular  line  of  ocean  steamers  to  America  (§  280).  From  that  time 
to  this  such  vessels  have  made  trips,  backward  and  forward  across 
the  Atlantic,  with  the  regularity  of  clockwork. 

221.  The  Importation  of  Slaves  forbidden.  The  year  following 
Fulton's  triumph  Congress  put  a  stop  to  the  importation  of  slaves 
(§  196,  note  1,  paragraph  4)  into  the  United  States  (1808).    The 

,law  had  the  hearty  support  of  President  Jefferson.  He,  like 
Washington  and  most  leading  men  of  that  day  of  the  South,  was 
a  slaveholder.  But,  like  Washington  and  many  other  influential 
Southerners,  he  hoped  that  the  country  would  find  some  peaceful 
means  of  freeing  the  negroes.  Jefferson,  in  particular,  was  beloved 
by  his  slaves,  and  would  gladly  have  given  them  their  liberty,  if 
he  could  have  clearly  seen  how  to  do  it.  He  continued  to  hold 
them,  as  many  other  good  men  did,  but  he  said,  "  I  tremble  for 
my  country,  when  I  reflect  that  God  is  just." 

222.  Summary.  Jefferson  was  our  first  Democratic  President. 
He  purchased  the  territory  of  Louisiana,  thereby  more  than  doub- 
ling the  area  of  the  United  States,  and  sent  Lewis  and  Clark  to 
explore  the  country  to  the  Pacific.  During  Jefferson's  administra- 
tion Fulton  invented  the  first  successful  steamboat  and  established 
steam  navigation  on  the  Hudson ;  the  pirates  of  Tripoli  and 
Algiers  were  conquered  ;  the  importation  of  slaves  was  stopped  ; 
and  on  account  of  trouble  with  Great  Britain  and  France,  Congress 
passed  the  Embargo  and  the  Non-Intercourse  Acts  restraining 
our  foreign  trade. 


1809] 


MADISON'S  ADMINISTRATION 


199 


James  Madison  (Democrat) 

223.  Madison's  Administration  (Fourth  President,  Two  Terms, 
1 809-1 8 1 7) ;  Reopening  of  Trade  with  Great  Britain.  When 
Madison1  became  President,  Great  Britain  and  France  were  ac- 
tively at  war,  and  our  ships  were  still  forbidden  by  Act  of  Con- 
gress (§  2 1 8)  to  trade  with  either  country.  The  President  was 
anxious  to  reopen  commerce  with  one  or  both.  JVjr^  Erskine, 
the  British  minister  at  Washington,  gave  Madison  to  understand 
that  England  would 
let  our  vessels  sail 
the  seas  unmolested, 
if  we  would  promise 
to  send  our  wheat, 
rice,  cotton,  fish,  and 
other  exports  to  her 
and  her  friends,  but 
refuse  them  to  her 
enemy,  France.  The 
agreement  was  made. 

More  than  a  thou- 
sand of  our  vessels, 
loaded  with  grain 
and  other  American 
products,  were  waiting  impatiently  for  the  President  to  grant  them 
liberty  to  sail  for  Great  Britain.  He  spoke  the  word,  and  they 
"  spread  their  white  wings  like  a  flock  of  long-imprisoned  birds, 

1  James  Madison  of  Virginia  and  Alexander  Hamilton  of  New  York  were  among  the 
foremost  of  the  distinguished  statesmen  who  framed  the  Constitution  and  aided  Washington 
in  organizing  the  government.  Madison  not  only  drafted  the  main  features  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, but  offered  the  first  ten  amendments,  adopted  1791. 

Madison  furthermore  obtained  the  passage  of  the  Religious  Freedom  Act  of  Virginia 
(originally  drawn  by  Jefferson  in  1778),  1785,  by  which  entire  religious  liberty  was  granted, 
and  all  taxes  for  the  support  of  public  worship,  and  all  religious  tests  for  holding  office  in 
that  state,  were  forbidden.  In  this  great  reform  Virginia  led  every  state,  not  excepting 
Rhode  Island,  in  some  respects,  and  set  an  example  followed  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  (see  the  Constitution,  Article  VI,  Paragraph  3).  Madison  was  born  in  King 
George  County,  Virginia,  in  175 1 ;  died  1836. 

Madison  (with  George  Clinton  of  New  York,  Vice  President)  was  elected  President  by 
the  Republican,  or  Democratic,  party  (§203). 


The  Sailing  of  Our  Ships 


200       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1809-1812 

and  flew  out  to  sea."  A  great  shout  of  joy  went  up  from  the  farmers, 
merchants,  and  shipowners,  for  they  believed  that  the  fleet  of  vessels 
would  return  to  fill  thousands  of  empty  pockets  with  welcome  dollars. 
But  England  denied  having  authorized  Mr.  Erskine  to  make  such 
an  agreement.  The  result  was  that  our  trade  stopped  as  suddenly  as 
it  began,  and  New  England  was  filled  with  angry  disappointment. 

224.  How  Napoleon  deceived  us.  Next,  Napoleon,  Emperor  of 
the  French,  had  a  word  of  promise  for  us.  He  had  seized  and 
sold  hundreds  of  our  ships  because  we  would  not  aid  him  in  his 
war  against  England.  He  now  agreed  to  let  our  commerce  alone, 
provided  we  would  bind  ourselves  not  to  send  any  of  our  produce 
to  Great  Britain,  but  would  let  him  and  his  friends  have  what  they 
wanted  to  buy.  Napoleon's  offer  was  a  trick  to  deceive  us,  and 
to  get  us  into  trouble  with  England.  We  agreed  to  his  terms ; 
he  did  not  keep  his  word,  and  the  ill  feeling  between  England 
and  America  was  made  still  more  bitter. 

225.  Tecumseh's  Conspiracy ;  Battle  of  Tippecanoe.  Meanwhile, 
it  was  discovered  that  Tecumseh,  a  famous  Indian  chief  of  Ohio, 
had  succeeded  in  uniting  the  savage  tribes  of  the  West  in  a  plot 
to  drive  out  the  white  settlers.  General  William  H.  Harrison,  who 
became  President  thirty  years  later  (1841),  met  the  Indians  at 
Tippecanoe,  in  the  territory  of  Indiana,  and  defeated  them  in  a 
great  battle  (181 1).  (Map,  p.  203.)  Tecumseh  was  not  in  that 
battle ;  but  he  took  a  leading  part  in  later  ones,  led  by  the  Eng- 
lish. Many  Americans  believed  that  England  had  secretly  encour- 
aged Tecumseh's  plot.  This  belief  helped  to  increase  the  desire 
of  the  majority  for  war  with  Great  Britain. 

226.  The  War  of  1812;  the  Henry  Letters;  the  Real  Cause 
of  the  War;  its  Declaration.  At  this  time  a  man  named  Henry 
declared  that  the  English  government  in  Canada  had  employed 
him  to  try  to  persuade  the  New  England  States  to  leave  the  Union 
and  join  Canada.  He  showed  a  bundle  of  letters  in  proof  of  the 
story.  Madison  paid  Henry  $50,000  for  his  bundle.  The  letters 
were  a  fraud  and  Henry  was  a  rascal ;  but,  for  a  time,  both  the 
President  and  Congress  were  deceived  by  this  swindler,  and  our 
hatred  of  Great  Britain  burned  hotter  than  ever. 


1812] 


HULL'S  MARCH  TO  DETROIT 


201 


The  real,  final  cause  of  the  war,  however,  lay  in  the  fact  that 
England  persisted  in  exercising  her  assumed  "  right  of  search  " 
(§  217).  Her  war  ships  stopped  our  merchant  vessels,  took  Ameri- 
can seamen  out  of  them,  and  forced  them,  under  the  sting  of  the 
lash,  to  enter  her  service  and  fight  her  battles.1  Her  excuse  was 
that  she  seized  men  who  were  British  subjects  and  who  had  de- 
serted and  entered  our  service.  This  was  true  in  some  cases,  but 
England  made  no  discrimination,  but  took  any  able-bodied  sailor 
she  fancied.  This  was  an  outrage  that  we  could  no  longer  bear ; 
several  thousand  of  our  citizens  had  been  kidnaped,  but  England 
refused  to  stop  these  acts  of 
violence.  For  this  reason  Con- 
gress declared  war  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1812.  New  England, 
knowing  that  such  a  war  would 
*ruin  what  commerce  she  had, 
was  opposed  to  fighting ;  but 
the  rest  of  the  country  thought 
differently,  and  with  a  hurrah 
for  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailors' 
Rights  "2  the  war  began. 

227.  Hull's  March  to  De- 
troit ;  his  Surrender.  Our  plan 
was  to  attack  Canada,  and,  if 
all  went  well,  to  annex  it.  In 
expectation  of  the  war,  General 

William  Hull  had  been  ordered  to  march  from  Urbana,  Ohio, 
to  Detroit.  Hull  had  served  in  the  Revolution,  and  Washington 
spoke  of  him  as  "an  officer  of  great  merit."  In  order  to  reach 
Detroit  he  had  to  build  two  hundred  miles  of  road  through  for- 
ests and  swamps.    It  was  a  tremendous  piece  of  work.    Hull  did 

1  England  denied  that  a  British  subject  could  become  an  American  citizen.  This  was 
at  a  time  when  she  was  short  of  sailors  in  her  navy,  and  used  to  send  gangs  of  sailors 
ashore  in  England  at  night,  with  handcuffs  and  gags,  to  seize  men  and  drag  them  off  to 
fight  against  France. 

2  By  "  Free  Trade  "  we  meant  freedom  to  send  our  merchant  ships  to  what  ports  we 
pleased  ;  by  "  Sailors'  Rights  "  we  meant  the  protection  of  American  seamen  against  seizure 
by  the  British. 


Seizing  American  Seamen 


202       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1812 


it,  and  reached  Detroit.  He  did  not  get  the  news  that  we  had 
declared  war,  until  after  the  Canadians  had  got  it,  and  had  cut  off 
most  of  the  supplies  of  provisions  and  powder  that  he  was  expect- 
ing to  receive.  The  forests  back  of  Detroit  were  full  of  hostile 
savages ;  in  front  was  the  English  general  Brock,  with  a  force  uf 
Canadians  and  Indians.    Brock  summoned  Hull  to  surrender. 

Without  waiting  to  be  attacked,  without  firing  a  single  gun  at 
the  enemy,  Hull  hoisted  a  white  tablecloth  as  a  signal  to  Brock, 
gave  up  the  fort,  and  with  it  Detroit  and  Michigan.  For  this  act 
he  was  tried  by  a  court  of  American  army  officers,  convicted  of 

cowardice,  and  sentenced  to  be 
shot ;  but  President  Madison 
pardoned  him  because  of  his 
services  in  the  Revolution.1 

228.  The  Constitution  and  the 
Guerriere.2,  Although  we  had 
been  beaten  on  land,  we  were 
wonderfully  victorious  at  sea. 
England  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  treating  America  as  though 
she  owned  the  ocean  from  shore 
to  shore.  She  had  a  magnificent 
navy  of  a  thousand  war  ships. 
We  had  about  a  dozen  !  One  of 
our  twelve  (§214)  was  the  Constitution  (44  guns),  commanded  by 
Captain  Isaac  Hull,  a  nephew  of  General  William  Hull  (§  227).  No 
braver  officer  ever  trod  a  ship's  deck.  While  cruising  off  the  coast 
of  Nova  Scotia,  Captain  Hull  fell  in  with  the  British  man-of-war 
Guerriere  (38  guns).  The  fight  began  (August  19,  181 2).  The 
Constitution  carried  more  guns  and  more  men  than  the  British 
ship,  and  in  twenty  minutes  the  Guerriere  surrendered,  a  shattered, 
helpless,  sinking  wreck.  The  London  Times,  forgetting  what  Paul 
Jones  had  done  in  the  Revolution  (§  183),  said,  "Never  before 

1  General  Hull's  defense  was  that  he  surrendered  in  order  to  save  the  women  and  chil- 
dren of  Detroit  from  the  scalping  knives  of  Brock's  Indians. 

2  Guerriere :  the  British  had  captured  this  vessel  from  the  French ;  hence  her  French 
name,  meaning  "  the  warrior." 


Battle  of  the  "  Constitution  "  and 
the  "  Guerriere" 


Map  of  War  of  1812 
203 


204       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1812-1813 


in  the  history  of  the  world  did  an  English  frigate  haul  down  her 
colors  to  an  American."  But  this  was  only  the  beginning  of  our 
successes  at  sea,  for  out  of  fifteen  such  battles  we  won  twelve. 
Captain  Hull  brought  his  prisoners  to  Boston.  The  Constittition, 
almost  unhurt,  and  henceforth  known  as  Old  Ironsides,1  was  hailed 
with  ringing  cheers.  Hull  and  his  brave  officers  were  feasted  in 
Faneuil  Hall ;  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal  and  gave  his 
men  $50,000  in  prize  money. 

229.  Progress  of  the  War;  Commodore  0.  H.  Perry's  Victory. 
Later  that  year  (18 12),  the  Americans  attacked  Queenstown, 
Canada,  and  General  Harrison  (§  225),  commander  of  the  Army 

of  the  West,  tried  in  vain  to  drive  the 
British  out  of  Detroit. 

In  the  autumn  (181 3),  Commodore  O. 
H.  Perry  gained  a  grand  victory  on  Lake 
Erie.  Perry  had  built  five  vessels  from 
green  timber  cut  on  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
He  added  four  more  vessels,  and  with 
that  little  fleet  captured  the  British  fleet 
carrying  more  guns  and  more  men.  Be- 
fore the  fight  began  he  hoisted  a  flag  over  his  vessel  —  the  Law- 
rence—  bearing  the  words,  "Don't  give  up  the  ship."2  During 
the  battle  the  Lawrence  was  "literally  cut  to  pieces,  and  her  decks 
covered  with  dead  and  dying  men.  Perry  saw  that  if  he  persisted 
in  staying  where  he  was,  he  must  be  defeated.  Taking  his  little 
brother,  a  boy  of  twelve,  with  him,  he  jumped  into  a  boat,  and 
ordered  the  crew  to  pull  for  the  Niagara.  It  was  a  perilous  under- 
taking. The  British  shot  broke  the  oars  to  pieces,  and  young 
Perry's  cap  was  torn  with  bullets  ;  but  the  boat  reached  the  Niag- 
ara, and  Perry  gained  the  battk.  Then,  on  the  back  of  an  old 
letter,  he  wrote  this  dispatch  to  General  Harrison, 

"  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours." 

1  See  Holmes'  poem  on  Old  Ironsides,  written  when  it  was  proposed  to  break  up  the 
old  ship.   She  has  been  repaired  and  lies  near  the  Charlestown  navy  yard. 

2  These  were  the  last  words  of  Captain  James  Lawrence  (June  i,  1813),  when  he  fell 
mortally  wounded  in  a  battle  between  his  ship,  the  Chesapeake,  and  the  English  ship-of-war 
Shannon.   Perry  had  given  Lawrence's  name  to  his  ship. 


1814]  BURNING  OF  WASHINGTON  205 

That  victory  gave  us  control  of  Lake  Erie,  and  the  British 
abandoned  Detroit  (§227). 

230.  Jackson's  Victory  at  Tohopeka.  The  next  spring  (18 14) 
General  Andrew  Jackson,  who  was  destined  to  be  President  of  the 
United  States,  marched  against  the  Creeks,  a  strong  Indian  tribe 
in  the  southwest  territory,  now  forming  the  states  of  Alabama  and 
Mississippi.  The  Creeks  had  recently  massacred  five  hundred  men, 
women,  and  children  at  Fort  Mimms,  near  Mobile.  Jackson  met  the 
Indians  in  battle  at  Tohopeka,  on  a  branch  of  the  Alabama  River. 
(Map,  p.  203.)  He  completely  destroyed  their  power,  and  they  sur- 
rendered the  greater  part  of  their  territory  to  the  United  States. 

231.  Battles  of  Chippewa  and  Lundy's  Lane  ;  Burning  of  Wash- 
ington. In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  (18 14)  General  Brown, 
with  General  Winfield  Scott  and  General  Ripley,  gained  the  battle 
of  Chippewa,  in  Canada.  Later,  they  drove  the  British  from  a  hard- 
fought  field  at  Lundy's  Lane  near  Niagara  Falls.    (Map,  p.  203.) 

Meanwhile,  the  British  had  blockaded  all  our  ports  along  the 
Atlantic  coast,  and  had  plundered  and  burned  a  number  of  towns. 
Later  in  the  summer  (18 14)  they  entered  Washington.  (Map, 
p.  203.)  President  Madison  fled  in  one  direction  ;  Mrs.  Madison, 
filling  her  workbag  with  silver  spoons,  fled  in  another.  The  Presi- 
dent's dinner,  which  had  just  been  served,  was  captured  and  eaten 
by  the  enemy.  After  dinner,  Admiral  Cockburn,  the  English  com- 
mander, and  his  officers,  paid  a  visit  to  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. Springing  into  the  Speaker's  chair,  he  cried  out,  "  Shall 
this  harbor  of  Yankee  democracy  be  burned  ?  "  There  was  a 
general  shout  of  "  Aye  !  "  "  Aye  !  " 

The  torch  was  applied,  and  soon  the  evening  sky  was  red 
with  the  glare  of  the  flames,  which  consumed  the  Capitol,  the 
President's  house,  and  other  public  buildings.  A  recent  Eng- 
lish historian1  says  of  that  deed,  "Few  more  shameful  acts  are 
recorded  in  our  history ;  and  it  was  the  more  shameful  in  that  it 
was  done  under  strict  orders  from  the  government  at  home."  2 

1  J.  R.  Green's  "  History  of  the  English  People." 

a  But  we  had  burned  (1813)  the  Canadian  government  buildings  at  York  (now  Toronto), 
then  the  capital  of  Canada.  The  truth  is,  that  both  sides  perpetrated  many  acts  which  time 
should  make  both  forgive  and  forget 


206       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1814 


232.  Macdonough's  Victory  on  Lake  Champlain;  British  At- 
tack on  Fort  McHenry.  A  few  weeks  after  the  burning  of  Wash- 
ington a  British  expedition  14,000  strong  moved  down  from 
Canada  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain  to  attack  northern  New  York. 
Commodore  Macdonough  had  command  of  a  small  American  fleet 
on  the  lake.  A  British  fleet  carrying  more  guns  and  more  men 
attacked  him  (18 14)  in  Plattsburg  Bay.  (Map,  p.  203.)  At  the 
first  broadside  fired  by  the  enemy,  a  young  gamecock  kept  as  a  pet 
on  board  Macdonough's  ship,  the  Saratoga,  flew  up  upon  a  gun ; 

flapping  his  wings,  he  gave  a 
crow  of  defiance  that  rang  like 
the  blast  of  a  trumpet.  Swing- 
ing their  hats,  Macdonough's 
men  cheered  the  plucky  bird 
again  and  again.  He  had  fore- 
told victory.  That  was  enough. 
They  went  into  the  fight  with 
such  ardor,  and  managed  their 
vessels  with  such  skill,  that  in 
less  than  three  hours  all  of  the 
British  ships  that  had  not  hauled 
down  their  flags  were  scudding 
to  a  place  of  safety  as  rapidly 
as  possible. 

The  next  British  attack  was 
on  Baltimore,  by  the  same  force 
and  fleet  that  had  taken  Washington  (§  231).  That  city  was 
guarded  by  Fort  McHenry.  All  day  and  all  the  following  night 
(September  13,  18 14)  the  enemy's  ships  hammered  away  with 
shot  and  shell  at  the  fort.1  As  the  anxious  hours  of  darkness 
slowly  passed,  the  people  of  Baltimore  asked  each  other,  "  Can 
we  possibly  hold  the  fort?"  When  the  sun  rose  the  next  morning 
the  question  was  answered — "our  flag  was  still  there";  the  British 


Macdonough's  Victory 


1  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Francis  S.  Key,  of  Baltimore,  wrote  the  "  Star-Spangled 
Banner."  Key  was  a  prisoner  at  the  time  on  board  of  one  of  the  British  men-of-war.  All 
night  long  he  watched  the  bombardment  of  the  fort.    By  the  flash  of  the  guns  he  could  see 


1815] 


JACKSON'S  VICTORY  AT  NEW  ORLEANS 


207 


had  given  up  the  attack,  and  were  sailing  down  Chesapeake  Bay. 
Baltimore  was  safe,  and  soon  every  one  was  joyously  singing  the 
new  song,  the  "  Star-Spangled  Banner." 

233.  Jackson's  Victory  at  New  Orleans;  the  Hartford  Conven- 
tion ;  End  of  the  War.  Early  the  next  year  came  the  final  battle 
of  the  war.  The  contest  had  now  lasted  over  two  years.  The 
British  determined  to  strike  a  tremendous  blow  at  New  Orleans. 
If  successful  it  might  give  them  a  foothold  on  the  Mississippi 
River.  Sir  Edward  Pakenham  with  10,000  picked  men  made  the 
attack  (January  8,  18 15).  General  Andrew  Jackson  defended  the 
approach  to  the  city  with  fortifications  made  of  banks  of  earth  and 
logs.  He  had  only  half 
as  many  men  as  the 
British  commander, 
and  they  were  men, 
too,  who  knew  prac- 
tically nothing  about 
war,  but  many  of  them 
were  sharpshooters. 

In  less  than  half  an 
hour  after  the  fight 
began  Pakenham  was 
killed,  and  the  enemy 
had  lost  over  2000 
men  to  our  71.  Then 
the    British    gave    up 

the  battle.  It  was  the  end  of  the  war.  Great  Britain  had  already 
made  peace  with  our  commissioners  at  Ghent,  in  Belgium  (De- 
cember 24,  1 8 14);  but  the  news  did  not  reach  us  until  several 
weeks  after  Jackson's  victory.  The  treaty  said  nothing  about  the 
British  claim  of  the  right  to  search  American  vessels  (§  226) ; 
there  was  hardly  need  to  mention  it,  for  our  ships  were  no 
longer  molested. 

our  flag  waving  over  it.  In  the  morning,  when  the  mist  cleared  away,  he  found  it  was  "  still 
there."  His  feelings  of  delight  found  expression  in  the  song,  which  he  hastily  wrote  in 
pencil  on  the  back  of  an  old  letter. 


Battle  of  New  Orleans 


i 


208       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1815- 

While  the  news  of  the  treaty  of  peace  was  on  its  way,  delegates 
from  most  of  the  New  England  States  met  in  Hartford,  Connect- 
icut, in  secret  session.  They  were  men  who  had  bitterly  opposed 
the  war  from  the  beginning.  It  was  reported  that  the  convention 
was  plotting  to  dissolve  the  Union ;  but  the  delegates  declared 
that  they  met  to  secure  defense  for  the  New  England  States,  and 
to  propose  certain  amendments  to  the  Constitution. 

234.  Results  of  the  War.  The  war  was  rightfully  called  our 
11  Second  War  of  Independence."    It  had  four  chief  results : 

1 .  The  Revolution  had  made  us  independent  on  land,  the  War 
of  18 1 2  made  us  independent  at  sea.  Henceforth  Great  Britain 
respected  our  rights  on  the  ocean  and  no  longer  tried  to  ''fence 
in  the  Atlantic." 

2.  The  war  showed  foreign  nations  that  any  attempt  to  estab- 
lish themselves  on  the  territory  of  the  United  States  (§233)  was 
likely  to  end  in  disastrous  failure. 

3.  By  cutting  off  our  foreign  commerce  foi  a  number  of  years 
the  war  caused  us  to  build  many  cotton  and  woolen  mills  (§  205). 
This  made  us  in  far  greater  degree  than  before  a  manufacturing 
people,  —  able  to  clothe  ourselves,  instead  of  having  to  depend 
on  the  looms  of  Great  Britain  for  our  "prints"  and  our  broad- 
cloths. 

4.  Congress  enacted  a  protective  tariff,  with  high  duties  (18 16), 
to  safeguard  these  mills  and  other  American  industries  against 
foreign  competition  (§  266). 

235.  Summary.  Madison's  administration  was  mainly  taken  up 
with  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  which  began  in  1 8 1 2  and 
ended  early  in  1 8 1 5 .  We  declared  war  because  England  refused 
to  stop  taking  our  sailors  out  of  our  ships  and  forcing  them  into 
her  service.  The  war  put  an  end  to  this  practice.  That  was  nearly 
a  hundred  years  ago.  Since  then  England  and  America  have 
always  been  at  peace  with  each  other.  May  that  peace  never 
again  be  broken ! 


1817]  MONROE'S  ADMINISTRATION 

James  Monroe  (Democrat) 


209 


236.  Monroe's  Administration  (Fifth  President;  Two  Terms, 
181 7- 1 82 5);  Monroe  a  Soldier  of  the  Revolution;  his  Inaugura- 
tion. Monroe,1  like  Washington,  got  the  best  part  of  his  educa- 
tion on  the  battlefield.  When  the  Revolution  broke  out  he  was 
a  student  in  the  College  of  William  and  Mary,  Virginia.  He 
threw  down  his  books  and  went  to  do  his  part  in  the  cause  of 
liberty.  Among  the  gallant  officers  who  helped  to  gain  the  victory 
of  Trenton  (§  174)  James  Monroe,  then  only  eighteen,  was  one. 

Mr.  Monroe  stood 
near  the  ruins  of  the 
Capitol  at  Washing- 
ton when  he  deliv- 
ered his  inaugural 
address.  The  Brit- 
ish had  burned 
(§231)  that  edifice, 
but  the  foundations 
remained  unharmed. 
Workmen  were  then 
rebuilding  it.  The 
President's  address 
was  full  of  encour- 
agement. It  seemed 
to  him  that  the  solid  foundations  of  the  Capitol  stood  an  image 
of  the  nation,  and  that,  like  them,  the  government  was  sure  to 
continue  to  exist. 

237.  The  President's  Journey  through  the  North;  the  M  Era 
of  Good  Feeling."  Mr.  Monroe  spent  the  summer  (18 17)  in 
traveling  through  New  England  and  the  northern  states.  New 
England  had  been  bitterly  opposed  to  the  War  of  1 8 1 2,  because 
the  stoppage  of  commerce  had  ruined  many  of  her  merchants 

1  James  Monroe  of  Westmoreland  County,  Virginia  (born  1758;  died  i83i),was  elected 
President  by  the  Republican,  or  Democratic,  party  (see  §  203)  by  a  very  large  majority  over 
the  Federalist  candidate.  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  of  New  York  was  chosen  Vice  President 
On  Monroe's  second  election,  see  §  237. 


Monroe's  Inauguration 


2io      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1817-1818 


and  shipbuilders.  The  President's  journey  in  this  part  of  the 
country  did  great  good.  He  went  as  a  peacemaker.  All  knew 
that  he  had  fought  under  Washington ;  all  respected  the  man's 
unblemished  character  and  honest  purpose.  When  the  people 
saw  him  dressed  in  the  military  costume  of  the  Revolution,  the 
sight  recalled  the  old  days  that  had  "  tried  men's  souls." 

In  Boston  and  other  cities  the  citizens  brought  out  the  shot- 
torn  and  smoke-stained  battle  flags  of  1776  to  decorate  the  streets. 
Gray-haired  men,  scarred  with  wounds  received  at  Bunker  Hill,  at 

Trenton,  at  Saratoga,  gathered 
to  welcome  the  new  President. 
He  spoke  of  the  inestimable 
worth  of  the  Union,  of  the  need 
that  the  North  and  the  South 
had,  and  always  must  have,  of 
each  other.  Men  listened,  and 
forgot  their  political  differences. 
Every  one  declared  that  the 
"  Era  of  Good  Feeling "  had 
begun.  When  Mr.  Monroe  was 
chosen  President  for  the  second 
time  (1821)  the  people  showed 
their  respect  for  him  and  their 
confidence  in  him  by  their  elect- 
oral vote,  which  lacked  but  a 
single  one  of  being  unanimous.1 
238.  The  First  Seminole  War ;  Our  Second  Step  in  Expansion, 
the  Purchase  of  Florida.  Great  Britain  had  ceded  Florida  back  to 
Spain  (§  143),  and  Florida  was  now  a  constant  source  of  trouble  to 
the  people  of  the  South.  Many  Seminoles,  or  wandering  Indians, 
had  gone  there  from  the  country  west  of  Georgia.  These  savages 
united  with  bands  of  runaway  negroes.  They  frequently  attacked 
the   Georgia  planters,  burning  houses,   murdering  families,  and 

1  Out  of  232  electoral  votes  cast  by  the  twenty-four  states  then  constituting  the  Union, 
Monroe  received  231.  The  elector  who  cast  the  remaining  vote  (for  John  Quincy  Adams) 
did  it  simply  because  he  had  vowed  ■  that  no  later  mortal  should  stand  in  Washington's 
shoes,"  — that  is,  receive,  like  Washington,  every  vote  for  the  presidency. 


In  the  Florida  Swamps 


1818-]        THE  WESTERN  EXTENSION  OF   SLAVERY  211 

carrying  off  property.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  fight  the  Indians 
and  negroes  in  the  swamps  and  thickets  of  Florida.  Finally, 
General  Jackson  (§  230)  was  sent  (18 18)  to  see  what  he  could  do. 
In  three  months  he  conquered  the  country,  though  it  still  belonged 
to  Spain.  Many  years  later  (1835)  we  had  a  second  war  with  the 
Seminoles  (§271). 

The  Spanish  government  found  that  these  troubles  were  likely 
to  break  out  again,  and  wisely  decided  to  sell  Florida  to  us.  We 
obtained  the  entire  territory,  about  60,000  square  miles  (18 19), 
for  $5,000,000.  This  was  our  second  step  in  national  expansion 
(§  215).  (Map,  p.  334.)  At  the  same  time  we  gave  up  to  Spain 
all  claim  to  the  country  later  known  as  Texas,  which  we  at  one 
time  considered  to  be  included  in  our  Louisiana  Purchase  (§  215). 
Spain,  on  the  other  hand,  gave  up  her  claim  to  the  "Oregon 
country"  (§  216),  and  so  strengthened  our  title  to  it. 

239.  The  Question  of  the  Western  Extension  of  Slavery.  The 
year  in  which  we  purchased  Florida  (18 19)  the  question  came  up, 
whether  slavery  should  be  permitted  to  establish  itself  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  in  the  immense  region  then  called  Missouri  Territory. 
(Map,  p.  214.)  By  the  Ordinance  of  1787  (§  195)  Congress  had 
shut  out  slavery  from  the  Northwest  Territory,  which  lay  east  of 
the  Mississippi  and  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  (Map,  p.  172) ; 
now  Congress  asked  if  it  would  not  be  best  to  shut  it  out  also 
from  the  whole  of  Missouri  Territory. 

Ex-President  Jefferson  (§  221)  was  afraid  that  this  discussion 
about  the  extension  of  slavery  would  lead  to  trouble  between  the 
North  and  the  South.  He  said  that  it  terrified  him  "like  a  fire 
bell  in  the  night." 

240.  Change  of  Feeling  in  Regard  to  Slavery;  Condition  of 
Things  at  the  North  and  at  the  South.  The  reason  for  his  fear 
was  that  a  great  change  had  come  over  the  country.  Before  the 
Revolution  every  colony  held  negroes  in  bondage.  But  in  the 
North  the  slaves  were  chiefly  house  servants,  and  their  number 
was  never  very  large.  In  the  South,  however,  the  planters  raised 
all  of  their  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco  by  slave  labor,  and  the  num- 
ber of  negroes  was  constantly  increasing.    At  first  few  persons 


212       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1819- 

considered  slavery  an  evil ;  but  after  a  time  many  able  men  in 
both  sections  of  the  country  came  to  believe  that  it  was  a  bad 
thing  for  both  the  whites  and  the  blacks. 

In  the  North  this  feeling  led  to  the  passing  of  laws  which 
gave  the  slaves  their  freedom.  But  at  the  South  the  planters 
did  not  see  how  they  could  free  their  negroes  without  ruining 
themselves. 

Later,  the  invention  of  the  cotton  gin  (§  205)  made  slave  labor 
immensely  profitable.  For  this  reason  the  planters  wished  to  keep 
up  the  system.  At  the  same  time  a  good  many  Northern  men, 
who  made  money  by  manufacturing  and  dealing  in  cotton  cloth, 
became  interested  in  maintaining  slavery  (§  205). 

241.  How  Slavery  divided  the  Country  in  Regard  to  Trade 
with  Europe.  On  the  whole,  the  effect  of  the  slave  system  was 
now  to  divide  the  nation,  instead  of  uniting  it.  Many  of  the  people 
of  the  two  sections  not  only  thought  differently  about  the  right 
and  the  wrong  of  holding  the  negro  in  bondage,  but  they  no  longer 
agreed  about  the  tariff  (§§  200,  234).  The  South  devoted  all  its 
strength  to  raising  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco.  It  had  scarcely  any 
manufactures  ;  it  had  to  buy  all  its  clothing,  shoes,  and  other  goods. 
Europe  could  then  make  these  articles  much  cheaper  than  they 
could  be  made  in  the  United  States.  The  South,  therefore,  natu- 
rally wished  for  free  trade,  in  order  that  it  might  import  its  supplies 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  North,  on  the  other  hand,  however,  had  gradually  come  to 
devote  much  of  its  labor  and  its  money  to  making  cloth,  shoes, 
and  other  articles  ;  for  this  reason  it  was  opposed  to  free  trade.  It 
wished  to  keep  up  a  protective  tariff  (§  234),  which  would  tax 
foreign  goods  and  so  make  people  buy  our  own  instead. 

242.  Why  the  North  opposed  the  Extension  of  Slavery  West  of 
the  Mississippi;  why  the  South  demanded  it.  Now  it  happened 
that  at  that  time  (18 19)  the  number  of  free  states  and  of  slave 
states  was  equal,  each  section  having  eleven.  A  majority  of  the 
Northern  people,  believing  slavery  to  be  an  evil,  had  therefore  two 
chief  reasons  for  opposing  its  establishment  west  of  the  Mississippi 
in  Missouri  Territory  (§239). 


1819-1820]    THE  GREAT  MISSOURI  COMPROMISE,  1820     213 

1 .  They  thought  it  would  be  a  serious  injury  to  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  as  great  a  mistake  as  for  a  farmer  to  take  the  thistles 
and  weeds  which  grew  on  his  old  land  and  deliberately  plant  them 
on  a  field  of  freshly  cleared  soil. 

2.  They  objected  to  it  because,  if  the  new  territory  should  be 
admitted  as  slave  states,  the  South  might  thereby  gain  a  majority 
of  representatives  in  Congress.  That  section  could  then,  by  its 
votes,  strengthen  and  extend  slavery,  and  at  the  same  time  it 
might  repeal  the  protective  tariff  (§241)  and  so  permit  the  free 
importation  of  all  kinds  of  manufactured  goods. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  South  argued  that  its  prosperity  depended 
on  the  extension  of  slave  labor,  and  on  free  trade  with  Europe ; 
their  papers  boldly  declared :  "  Slavery  must  have  room."  The 
people  there  saw  that  the  North  was  rapidly  outstripping  them  in 
growth  of  population.  If,  then,  a  part  of  Missouri  Territory  should 
enter  the  Union  as  a  free  state,  the  North  would  probably  get 
control  of  Congress  and  of  our  foreign  trade. 

243.  The  Great  Missouri  Compromise,  1820.  Finally,  a  part  of 
Missouri  Territory  was  set  apart  under  the  name  of  the  state  of  Mis- 
souri, and  applied  for  admission  as  a  slave  state.  (Map,  p.  214.)  The 
South  urged  the  measure  with  all  its  might ;  the  North  fought  against 
it  with  equal  determination.  After  nearly  two  years  of  angry  debate 
Henry  Clay1  of  Kentucky  succeeded  in  persuading  Congress  to 
make  a  compromise,  —  that  is,  a  bargain  in  which  each  side  agreed 
to  give  up  something  to  the  other  in  order  to  settle  the  dispute. 

The  Compromise  was  this  : 

1 .  The  North  agreed  that  Missouri  should  enter  the  Union  as 
a  slave  state. 

2.  The  South  agreed  that  in  all  future  cases  the  states  formed 
out  of  the  remainder  of  Missouri  Territory  north  of  the  parallel 

1  Henry  Clay  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1777 ;  died  at  Washington,  1852.  He  studied  law, 
and  in  1797  removed  to  Lexington,  Kentucky.  In  1799,  when  the  people  of  Kentucky  were 
about  adopting  a  state  constitution,  Clay  urged  them  (but  without  success)  to  abolish  slavery. 
He  entered  Congress  in  1806,  and  continued  in  public  life  from  that  time  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  personal  influence,  a  "  peacemaker  "  by  temperament,  and  the 
greatest  orator  the  Southwest  ever  possessed.  Although  ardently  attached  to  his  adopted 
state  of  Kentucky,  yet  he  declared  in  1850  that  he  owed  his  first  allegiance  to  the  Union,  and 
a  subordinate  allegiance  to  his  state.   See  Carl  Schurz's  admirable  "  Life  of  Henry  Clay." 


214       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1820 


of  36  degrees  and  30  minutes  on  the  map  should  come  in  free. 
(Map,  below.) 

3.  Finally,  the  South  agreed  that  it  would  no  longer  oppose  the 
effort  of  the  North  for  the  admission  of  Maine,  which  would,  of 
course,  come  in  as  a  free  state. 

This  law  was  passed  in  1820  under  the  name  of  the  Mis- 
souri Compromise  Act.    Maine  was  admitted  (1820)  and  Missouri 


Map  illustrating  the  Missouri  Compromise  Act  of  1820 

The  Act  did  not  mention  the  territory  south  of  360  30',  but  the  understanding  was 
that  it  was  to  be  opened  to  slavery. 

followed  (1821).  This  kept  the  political  balance  even,  for  the 
North  now  had  twelve  free  states  and  the  South  twelve  slave 
states. 

Many  people  believed  that  the  passage  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise Act l  had  settled  the  debate  about  the  extension  of  slavery 
"forever."    But  facts  proved  that  in  this  case  "forever"  meant 

1  John  Randolph,  a  Virginia  slaveholder,  then  in  Congress,  called  the  Northern  men  who 
voted  for  the  Compromise  "  Doughfaces,"  because  he  thought  they  had  no  more  character  than 
a  piece  of  dough.  But  John  Quincy  Adams  of  Massachusetts,  a  thorough  hater  of  slavery, 
who  was  then  Secretary  of  State,  and  who  had  no  more  "  dough  "  in  his  make-up  than  a  block 
of  New  England  granite,  believed  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  a  wise  measure  and  neces- 
sary to  the  preservation  of  the  Union, 


1820-1825] 


THE  "NATIONAL  ROAD" 


215 


only  about  twenty-five  years  (§§  285,  298,  299,  305) ;  then,1  as 
we  shall  see,  the  question  came  up  again,  and  in  a  more  danger- 
ous form  than  before. 

244.  Desire  to  reach  the  West;  the  "National  Road."  Next 
to  the  extension  of  slavery,  one  of  the  greatest  questions  of  this 
period  was  how  to  reach  the  West.  To-day  we  find  it  difficult 
to  understand  this.  To  go  West,  we  simply  step  into  an  express 
train,  and  steam  whirls  us  to  our  destination  at  the  rate  of  forty 
or  fifty  miles  an  hour.  If  mountains  block  the  way,  the  train 
either  climbs  over  them  or  goes  through  them. 

In  President  Monroe's  time  the  railway  did  not  exist,  and 
although  the  steamboat  did  (§  220),  that  could  only  go  where 
some  navigable  river  or  lake  opened  the  way.    Look  on  the  map 


The  Cumberland  or  National  Road 


of  the  United  States  (Map,  above),  and  you  will  see  that  the 
Allegheny  Mountains  shut  out  the  East  from  the  West.  As  the 
steamboat  could  not  find  a  passage  leading  through  those  rough 
walls  of  rock,  Congress  resolved  to  build  a  wagon  road  over  them. 
Such  a  road  had  already  been  begun  (181 1)  at  the  head  of  navi- 
gation on  the  Potomac,  at  Cumberland,  Maryland.  (Map,  above.) 
This  National  Road  was  now  (1825)  gradually  extended  across 
the  forest-covered  mountains  to  Wheeling,  on  the  Ohio  River, 
where  it  connected  with  steamboats  running  to  Cincinnati  and 
to  New  Orleans. 

But  that  was  not  enough.  There  were  millions  of  acres  of 
fertile  land  in  Ohio  and  the  country  beyond  it,  which  emigrants 

1  That  is,  until  the  question  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  came  up  in  1845,  followed  by 
that  of  the  Wilmot  Proviso  (1846-1848),  by  the  Compromise  of  1850,  and  by  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Act  of  1854. 


216       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1825 


wished  to  reach  more  directly  than  the  steamboat  could  help  them 
to  do.  Henry  Clay,  the  "  Father  of  the  National  Road  "  (§  243), 
urged  its  extension  from  Wheeling  across  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illi- 
nois through  to  the  Mississippi.  (Map,  p.  215.)  President  Monroe 
earnestly  favored  this  enterprise,  but  he  did  not  think  that  he  had 
lawful  power  under  the  Constitution  to  spend  the  people's  money 
for  such  purposes.  Indirectly,  however,  he  used  every  effort  to 
help  it  forward.  The  road  was  extended  nearly  to  the  Mississippi, 
but  by  that  time  people  had  begun  to  build  railways  (§§  252-255), 

so  the  National  Road 
never  got  any  farther. 
It  was  the  first  great 
work  of  the  kind  un- 
dertaken by  the  United 
States,  costing,  in  the 
end,  over  $6,000,000. 
It  stretched  across  the 
country  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  —  broad,  solid, 
smooth,  —  a  true  na- 
tional highway. 

245.  Traffic  on  the 
National  Road;  Emi- 
grant Wagons.  The 
traffic  over  the  road  was  immense.  Gayly  painted  stagecoaches 
ran  through  the  more  thickly  settled  parts.  Beyond,  toward  the 
west,  there  was  a  constant  stream  of  huge  canvas-covered  emigrant 
wagons,  often  so  close  together  that  the  leaders  of  the  teams  could 
touch  the  wagon  ahead  of  them  with  their  noses.  To  see  that  pro- 
cession of  emigrant  families  going  forward  day  after  day  showed 
how  fast  the  people  were  settling  that  wild  western  country,  which 
is  now  covered  with  cultivated  farms,  thriving  towns,  and  busy  cities. 
It  was  the  beginning  of  that  great  march  toward  the  setting 
sun  which  was  to  keep  steadily  advancing  until  the  Pacific  said 
"Halt!" — that  is,  until  we  had  taken  possession  of  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  continent. 


Emigrants  going  West  over  the 
National  Road 


1823]  THE  "MONROE  DOCTRINE"  217 

246.  The  "Monroe   Doctrine";    "America  for   Americans." 

While  the  National  Road  (§  244)  was  being  pushed  westward, 
Mexico  and  several  South  American  countries  had  declared  them- 
selves republics,  independent  of  Spain.  The  Czar  of  Russia  and 
most  of  the  European  kings  looked  with  a  jealous  eye  on  republics. 
The  Czar  then  held  Russian  America  (now  Alaska)  and  was  en- 
deavoring to  get  possession  of  more  territory,  farther  south,  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  He,  with  other  European  rulers,  formed  an 
alliance  to  force  the  new  American  nations  to  bow  their  heads 
again  under  the  old  despotic  yoke  of  Spain  from  which  they  had 
just  freed  themselves.  President  Monroe  cried,  "  Hands  off !  "  In 
his  message  to  Congress  (1823)  he  declared  : 

1.  That  the  United  States  would  deny  the  right  of  any  Euro- 
pean power  to  plant  any  new  colonies  on  the  American  continent. 

2.  That  we  were  resolved  not  to  meddle  with  the  affairs  of  the 
nations  of  the  Old  World. 

3.  That  we  were  equally  determined  that  they  should  not  in 
any  way  meddle  with  the  affairs  of  the  New  World. 

That  declaration  is  called  the  "  Monroe  Doctrine."  x  It  means 
that  we  consider  that  "  America  is  for  Americans."  We  stand 
by  the  right  of  the  different  nations  on  both  the  American  con- 
tinents, North  and  South,  to  manage  their  own  affairs  in  their 
own  way,  without  interference  from  Europe. 

247.  Visit  of  Lafayette.  Near  the  close  of  Monroe's  admin- 
istration  Congress  requested   the    President   to  invite   Lafayette 

1  The  "  Monroe  Doctrine" :  in  his  message  to  Congress  on  December  2, 1823,  President 
Monroe  said,  speaking  of  the  project  of  Russia  to  plant  one  or  more  Russian  colonies  on 
the  coast  of  what  was  then  the  Mexican  state  of  California,  "  The  occasion  has  been  judged 
proper  for  asserting,  as  a  principle  in  which  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  United  States  are 
involved,  that  the  American  continents,  by  the  free  and  independent  position  which  they  have 
assumed  and  maintain,  are  henceforth  not  to  be  considered  as  subjects  for  future  colonization 
by  any  European  powers." 

Again,  President  Monroe  said,  in  the  same  message,  in  speaking  of  the  proposed  interfer- 
ence of  European  governments  in  America,  "  We  should  consider  any  attempt  on  their  part  to 
extend  their  system  to  any  portion  of  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous  to  our  peace  and  safety" 

Finally,  the  President  said  that  we  could  not  consider  any  interference  by  Europe  with 
the  independent  republics  which  had  been  established  on  either  of  the  American  continents 
"  in  any  other  light  than  as  the  manifestation  of  an  unfriendly  disposition  toward  the  United 
States."  See  W.  Macdonald's  "Select  Documents  of  United  States  History,  1776-1861," 
p.  228. 


218       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1825 


(§  176),  then  a  venerable  man  verging  on  seventy,  to  revisit  the 
United  States  after  forty  years'  absence.  He  came  (1824),  and 
spent  more  than  a  year  traveling  through  the  country  as  the  guest 
of  the  nation.  He  visited  every  one  of  the  twenty-four  states,  and 
all  of  the  principal  cities  and  towns. 

He  had  spent  much  of  his  fortune  in  our  cause.  Congress 
gratefully  voted  him  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  made  him 
a  grant  of  twenty-four  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Florida.  He  was 
everywhere  received  with  enthusiasm  and  affection.    Some  of  the 

old  soldiers  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, who  had  fought  under 
him,  were  completely  over- 
come by  their  feelings  on 
seeing  their  former  com- 
mander, who  had  so  gen- 
erously helped  them  in  the 
dark  days  of  the  war.  Lafay- 
ette took  part  in  laying 
the  corner  stone  of  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  (June  17, 
1825),  just  fifty  years  after 
the  battle.1  When  he  re- 
turned to  France  that  au- 
tumn he  was  followed  by 
the  fervent  prayers  of  the 
powerful  nation  he  had  done 
so  much  to  establish. 
That  happened  more  than  eighty  years  ago,  but  there  is  good 
proof  that  the  American  people  have  not  forgotten,  and  never 
will  forget,  the  noble-hearted  Frenchman. 

1  In  his  oration  at  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  June  17, 1825, 
Daniel  Webster  pointed  to  the  Revolutionary  veterans  who  stood  near  him  and  addressed 
Lafayette  as  follows :  w  Those  who  survived  that  day,  and  whose  lives  have  been  prolonged 
to  the  present  hour,  are  now  around  you.  Some  of  them  you  have  known  in  the  trying 
scenes  of  the  war.  .  .  .  Behold !  they  raise  their  trembling  voices  to  invoke  the  blessing 
of  God  on  you  and  yours  forever.  .  .  .  Illustrious  as  are  your  merits,  yet  far,  O,  very  far 
distant  be  the  day,  when  any  inscription  shall  bear  your  name,  or  any  tongue  pronounce 
its  eulogy." 


Webster  and  Lafayette  at  Bunker 
Hill,  June  17,  1825 


1825-1829]  J.  Q.  ADAMS'  ADMINISTRATION  219 

In  the  very  center  of  Paris,  in  the  grounds  of  the  palace  of 
the  Louvre,  one  sees  a  commanding  equestrian  statue  (1900). 
On  the  base  of  that  statue  we  read  this  inscription  : 


ERECTED  BY  THE  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES,  IN  GRATEFUL  MEMORY  OF 
LAFAYETTE,   STATESMAN,   SOLDIER,   PATRIOT 


248.  Summary.  Four  chief  events  marked  the  period  of  the 
presidency  of  James  Monroe.  They  were  :  (1)  the  debate  on  the 
extension  of  slavery  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  ending  in 
the  Missouri  Compromise ;  (2)  the  pushing  forward  of  the  Na- 
tional Road  into  Ohio,  which  opened  up  a  large  section  of  the 
West  to  emigrants  from  the  Atlantic  states ;  (3)  our  declaration 
of  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  that  Europe  must  keep  her  hands  off 
both  American  continents ;  (4)  the  visit  of  Lafayette. 

John  Quincy  Adams  (Independent  Democrat) 

249.  John  Quincy  Adams'  Administration  (Sixth  President, 
One  Term,  1825-1829);1  Governor  Clinton  and  the  Erie  Canal. 

The  year  that  Mr.  Adams  became  President  (1825)  the  Erie 
Canal  was  completed  by  the  state  of  New  York.  It  was  the  most 
important  public  improvement  yet  made  by  any  state  in  the  Union. 

1  John  Quincy  Adams,  son  of  President  John  Adams,  was  born  in  Braintree  (now 
Quincy),  Massachusetts,  in  1767;  died,  1848.  He  was  originally  a  Federalist  (§203);  later, 
he  acted  for  a  time  with  the  Democratic-Republican  party  (§203),  though  his  sympathies 
were  largely  with  those  who  eventually  organized  the  Whig  party  (§273),  who,  like  the 
extinct  Federalists,  desired  to  give  a  broad  interpretation  to  the  Constitution  (§203).  The 
Whigs,  led  by  Henry  Clay,  favored  a  protective  tariff  (that  is,  a  heavy  tax  imposed  on  im- 
ported goods  for  the  purpose  of  "  protecting  "  our  manufacturers  against  foreign  competition  ; 
a  revenue  tariff  is  a  lighter  tax  imposed  merely  to  obtain  money  or  revenue  for  the  govern- 
ment) .  They  also  favored  public  improvements  —  such  as  the  building  of  roads,  canals,  and 
the  like  —  at  the  expense  of  the  nation,  in  opposition  to  the  Democratic  party,  which  insisted 
on  a  strict  interpretation  of  the  Constitution,  favored  free  trade,  or  a  simple  revenue  tariff, 
and  believed  that  each  state  should  make  its  own  improvements  at  its  own  expense. 

John  Quincy  Adams  and  Andrew  Jackson  were  the  two  leading  candidates  for  the  presi- 
dency in  1824  ;  both  were  nominally  Democrats,  for  that  was  the  only  party  then  existing,  but 
Adams,  as  an  independent  Democrat,  still  held  certain  Federalist  principles,  while  Jackson, 


220       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1825 


It  connected  the  Hudson  River  at  Troy  and  Albany  with  Lake 
Erie,  at  Buffalo. 

Governor  De  Witt  Clinton  of  New  York  carried  the  great  work 
through.  When  he  proposed  it,  many  denounced  and  ridiculed 
the  undertaking  as  a  sheer  waste  of  the  people's  hard-earned 
money.    They  nicknamed  it  "  Clinton's  Big  Ditch."    They  said 


Henry  Clay 


that  it  never  would  be  completed,  that  it  would  swallow  up  millions 
in  taxes,  and  in  the  end  yield  nothing  but  mud. 

250.  How  the  Canal  was  built ;  its  Opening.  Governor  Clinton 
had  indeed  put  his  hand  to  a  stupendous  task.  Lake  Erie  is  363 
miles  west  of  the  Hudson,  and  it  is  nearly  600  feet  above  the 
level  of  that  river.  The  country  between  the  Hudson  and  the  lake 
is  in  some  places  rough  and  broken.  There  were  people  in  New 
York  who  knew  these  difficulties,  and  who  asked  the  Governor 
whether  he  could   make  water  run  uphill.    He  replied   that  he 

as  a  man  of  the  people,  bitterly  opposed  them.  Neither  candidate  got  a  majority  of 
the  electoral  votes,  and  the  House  of  Representatives  finally  chose  Mr.  Adams  President 
(John  C.  Calhoun  of  South  Carolina,  Vice  President).  Mr.  Adams  had  refused  to  make 
any  exertion  to  secure  his  own  election ;  and  when  asked  by  his  friend  Edward  Everett 
if  he  did  not  intend  to  do  something  to  obtain  it,  he  replied,  "  I  shall  do  absolutely  noth- 
ing." It  was  one  of  those  rare  cases  in  which  the  office  sought  the  man,  and  not  the  man 
the  office. 


1825-]  THE  ERIE  CANAL  221 

could  do  better  :  he  could  build  locks  which  would  make  the  water 
lift  the  canal  boats  over  the  hills. 

When  all  was  ready  he  set  his  army  of  laborers  at  work.  They 
toiled  eight  years  in  the  wilderness,  cutting  down  forests,  digging 
out  the  earth,  blasting  their  way  through  ridges  of  rock,  building 
aqueduct  bridges  to  carry  the  canal  across  rivers,  constructing 
locks  of  solid  masonry  to  carry  it  up  the  hillsides. 

In  the  autumn  of  1825  the  great  undertaking  was  finished,  and, 
when  the  water  was  let  in,  a  row  of  cannon  about  five  miles  apart, 
extending  from  Buffalo  to  New  York,  flashed  the  news  the  whole 
length  of  the  state.  Governor  Clinton  traveled  from  Buffalo  to 
Albany  by  the  canal,  and  thence  by  the  Hudson  to  New  York 
City.  He  brought  with  him  a  keg  of  water  from  Lake  Erie. 
When  he  reached  the  city  he  solemnly  poured  the  water  into 
the  harbor  to  commemorate,  as  he  said,  "  the  navigable  com- 
munication opened  between  our  Mediterranean  seas  (meaning  our 
Great  Lakes)  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean." 

251.  What  the  Canal  has  done  for  New  York  and  for  the 
Country.  The  canal  has  since  done  far  more  than  Governor 
Clinton  expected.  The  expense  of  building  it  was  easily  paid  by 
means  of  a  small  toll  or  tax  levied  by  the  state  on  boats  and 
freight.  Before  the  canal  was  built,  the  charge  for  hauling  a 
barrel  of  flour  from  Albany  to  Buffalo  was  ten  dollars,  and  it 
took  three  weeks  to  get  it  there.  After  the  canal  was  opened, 
a  barrel  of  flour  could  be  sent  through  in  a  week,  at  a  cost 
of  thirty  cents !  Since  its  completion  to  the  present  time  over 
$6,000,000,000  worth  of  freight  has  been  carried  on  its  waters. 

The  canal  originally  ran  through  a  country  in  great  part  un- 
settled. It  was  the  means  of  bringing  in  great  numbers  of  emi- 
grants from  the  East.  On  its  banks  arose  scores  of  flourishing 
towns  and  rapidly  growing  cities.  New  York  City  gained  im- 
mensely by  the  trade  with  the  West,  which  began  as  soon  as  this 
water  way  was  opened.  Later,  the  canal  was  made  free  of  toll, 
and  from  spring  to  the  end  of  autumn  a  constant  procession  of 
boats  laden  with  grain  used  to  be  seen  going  eastward  day  and 
night ;  while  a  similar  procession,  laden  with  merchandise,  was 


222       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1828 


seen  going  westward.  This  movement  was  a  means  of  growth 
and  a  source  of  wealth  to  both  sections  of  the  country.  On  the 
one  hand  it  made  food  cheaper  all  through  the  East ;  on  the 
other,  it  made  imported  goods  cheaper  throughout  the  West. 

In  order  to  make  the  Erie  Canal  a  successful  competitor  against 
the  railway,  which  runs  parallel  with  it  from  Albany  to  Buffalo, 
the  state  of  New  York  is  spending  over  $100,000,000  in  im- 
proving it.    When  the  work  is  completed  fleets  of  steam  barges, 

each  carrying  a  thousand  tons  of 
freight,  will  navigate  this  great  in- 
land water  way. 

252.  Experiments  with  "  Steam 
Wagons."  A  few  years  later  a  work 
was  begun  in  Maryland  which  was 
destined  to  have  greater  results  even 
than  the  Erie  Canal.  Fulton  had 
shown  the  world  that  the  steam  en- 
gine could  be  successfully  used  to 
propel  boats  (§  220) ;  the  next  ques- 
tion was,  Is  there  any  reason  why 
the  steam  engine  cannot  be  put  on 
wheels,  and  made  to  propel  itself  on 
land  ?  After  many  experiments  and 
many  failures,  George  Stephenson  invented  a  ''steam  wagon,"  or 
locomotive,  in  England,  which  would  draw  a  train  of  loaded  cars 
on  a  track  at  the  rate  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  Meanwhile, 
Oliver  Evans  and  other  ingenious  American  mechanics  had  been 
experimenting  with  "  steam  wagons  "  in  this  country. 

253.  Breaking  Ground  for  the  First  Passenger  Railway  in 
America.  A  few  years  after  the  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal 
(§251)  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Maryland, 
performed  the  ceremony  of  breaking  ground  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railway  from  Baltimore  westward  (1828).  The  road 
now  forms  part  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railway  system.  Mr. 
Carroll,  then  over  ninety  years  of  age,  was  the  only  person  liv- 
ing who  had  signed  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence 


Locks  at  Lockport  on  the 
Erie  Canal 


1830-1831]      THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  LOCOMOTIVE 


223 


(1776).  As  he  struck  the  spade  into  the  ground  with  a  firm 
hand,  he  said,  "  I  consider  this  among  the  most  important  acts 
of  my  life,  second  only  to  that  of  signing  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  if  second  even  to  that." 

254.  The  First  American  Locomotive,  1830;  the  Railway 
opened;  the  Race.  The  first  locomotive  which  ran  over  the  new 
railway  in  1830  was  built  at  Baltimore  by  Peter  Cooper,  since 
widely  known  for  his  noble  gift  of  the  Cooper  Institute  to  New 
York  City.  His  engine  had  little  resemblance  to  our  modern  ones, 
but  it  drew  a  rudely  constructed  open  car  filled  with  passengers. 
The  road  at  first  extended  only  to  Ellicott's  Mills,  about  fourteen 
miles  from  Baltimore.  The  trip  was  made  in  somewhat  less  than 
an  hour.    On  the  return,  the  train  had  a  race  with  a  spirited 


Steam  wins  the  Race 


gray  horse  hitched  to  a  similar  car.  The  gray  did  his  best ;  the 
puffing,  wheezing  little  locomotive  did  its  best  likewise.  Finally, 
steam  conquered ;  and  a  great  shout  of  victory  went  up  from  the 
dozen  passengers  in  the  car  drawn  by  Peter  Cooper's  diminu- 
tive engine.  That  shout  meant  that  the  days  of  stagecoaches  were 
numbered. 

255.  Growth  of  Railways  in  the  United  States;  Results.  The 
same  year  six  miles  of  the  Charleston  and  Augusta  Railway  were 
opened;  a  year  later  (1831)  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railway 
began  to  carry  passengers  in  New  York.  In  ten  years  the  fourteen 
miles  of  track  in  Maryland  had  multiplied  to  nearly  3000  miles 
in  different  states.  These  have  since  increased  to  over  240,000 
miles,  or  more  than  eighty-fold.  They  form  a  network  of  trans- 
portation which  crosses  the  continent  (§  370).    That  network  binds 


224       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1825-1829 

the  nation  together  with  bands  of  steel.  It  makes  every  part  of  our 
country  quickly,  cheaply,  and  easily  accessible  to  every  other  part. 
The  men  of  Jefferson's  time  who  lived  to  see  what  the  railway 
accomplished,  no  longer  doubted  whether  the  United  States  could 
safely  extend  beyond  the  Alleghenies  (§213).    Steam  convinced 


First  Steam  Train  (1831)  on  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railway, 

New  York 

them  that  the  republic  was  destined  not  only  to  hold  the  East,  but 
to  get  possession  of  the  whole  of  the  great  West. 

256.  The  Temperance  Cause;  Drinking  Habits  in  Early  Days. 
Side  by  side  with  this  wonderful  material  advance,  the  country  was 
now  beginning  to  make  progress  in  moral  reforms,  especially  with 
respect  to  temperance.  One  of  the  great  evils  of  the  times  was 
drunkenness.  In  the  early  days  of  our  history  the  use  of  liquor 
was  almost  universal.  A  majority  of  the  people  drank  it  every 
day,  and  some  of  them  drank  it  pretty  nearly  all  day. 

No  well-to-do  farmer  thought  he  could  get  in  his  hay  without  a 
good-sized  jug  of  whisky  to  refresh  himself  and  his  men ;  no 
house  or  church  was  built  without  plenty  of  spirits  to  help  get  the 
timbers  into  place ;  no  bargain  was  clinched  without  the  aid  of 
liquor ;  and  no  gentleman  called  on  another  without  being  asked 
to  take  a  social  glass. 

257.  The  First  Successful  Temperance  Society;  what  has  been 
done  since.  The  "  American  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Tem- 
perance "  was  formed  in  Boston  (1826),  and  a  number  of  years 
later  (1840)  six  men,  who  knew  the  evils  of  the  vice  of  intemper- 
ance from  their  own  sad  personal  experience,  met  in  Baltimore, 
signed  a  total  abstinence  pledge,  and  founded  the  "  Washingtonian 
Temperance  Society."    That  movement  did  immense  good,  and 


1825-1829]  SUMMARY  225 

restored  many  drunkards  to  the  manhood  they  had  lost  through 
drink.1  A  little  more  than  ten  years  later  (185 1)  Neal  Dow  per- 
suaded the  state  of  Maine  to  enact  the  first  prohibition  law.  It 
forbade  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  bever- 
ages ;  but  the  law  has  never  met  with  more  than  partial  success. 

Since  that  time  several  other  states  tried  prohibition  for  longer 
or  shorter  periods.  Recently  North  Dakota,  Kansas,  Georgia, 
Alabama,  and  Oklahoma  enacted  prohibitory  measures.  More- 
over, so  many  towns  have  of  late  refused  to  grant  liquor  licenses 
that  more  than  half  the  area  of  the  United  States  (though  not  the 
most  densely  populated  part)  is  under  some  kind  of  prohibition. 
The  results  of  these  efforts  will  show  themselves  in  due  time. 
"  Strong  drink  "  still  slays  its  thousands  in  the  United  States  as 
elsewhere ;  but  the  young  man  beginning  life  now,  finds  that  all 
the  best  influences  are  opposed  to  intemperance,  —  once  (§  256) 
a  majority  of  influences  seemed  to  encourage  it. 

258.  Summary.  The  presidency  of  John  Quincy  Adams  was 
marked  by  three  important  events  :  (1)  the  completion  of  the  Erie 
Canal ;  (2)  the  building  of  the  first  passenger  railway  in  the  United 
States  ;  (3)  the  first  successful  attempt  at  temperance  reform. 

1  The  first  temperance  societies  did  not  insist  on  total  abstinence  from  all  alcoholic 
drinks,  but  only  from  the  use  of  distilled  spirits  such  as  whisky,  brandy,  and  the  like. 
Later,  they  required  —  like  the  Washingtonians  —  a  pledge  of  "  total  abstinence  from  all 
that  can  intoxicate " ;  but  they  still  retained  the  name  of  temperance  societies,  though 
strictly  speaking  they  had  now  become  total  abstinence  societies. 


VII 

"  Our  Federal  Union  :  it  must  be  preserved."  —  President  Jackson's 
toast  at  his  birthday  banquet  in  Washi?igton,  April  30,  1830. 

THE   NEW  DEMOCRACY 

Andrew  Jackson  (Democrat)1 

259.  Jackson's  Administration  (Seventh  President,  Two  Terms, 
1 829-1 837) ;  Character  of  the  New  President.  Up  to  this  date  all 
the  Presidents  had  been  chosen  from  Virginia  or  from  'Massachu- 
setts, and  all  were  known  to  the  country  as  statesmen  of  a  high  order. 
General  Jackson,2  "  the  People's  President,"  came  from  Tennessee. 
He  had  unbounded  popularity  in  all  western  communities.  His 
military  services,  and  especially  his  victory  over  the  British  at 
New  Orleans  (§  233),  had  made  him  famous  throughout  the 
United  States. 

1  Reference  Books  (Jackson  to  Buchanan,  inclusive).  W.  Wilson's  "  Division 
and  Reunion,"  ch.  1-8;  W.  C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "United  States"  (revised  edi- 
tion), IV,  291-434;  W.  Macdonald's  "Jacksonian  Democracy";  A.  B.  Hart's 
"  Slavery  and  Abolition  "  ;  G.  P.  Garrison's  "  Westward  Extension  ";  T.  C.  Clarke's 
"  Parties  and  Slavery";  F.  E.  Chadwick's  "  Causes  of  the  Civil  War,"  ch.  1-17  ; 
J.  B.  McMaster's  "United  States,"  V,  523-556,  VI;  A.  B.  Hart's  "American 
History  by  Contemporaries,"  III,  ch.  24-29;  IV,  ch.  2-7  ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Source 
Book,  ch.  15-17  ;  J.  Schouler's  "  United  States,"  III,  ch.  13;  IV,  V.  See  also  the 
classified  List  of  Books  in  the  Appendix. 

2  Andrew  Jackson  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  (§  92).  He  was  born  in  1767,  in  the  Waxhaw 
Settlement,  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina,  close  to  the  South  Carolina  boundary  line. 
In  his  will  and  elsewhere  he  speaks  of  himself  as  a  native  of  the  latter  state.  He  died  in 
1845.  He  got  his  early  education  rather  from  the  hard,  rough,  dangerous  life  of  the  back- 
woods than  from  books  and  schools.  No  one  could  excel  him  in  handling  a  rifle,  or  in  break- 
ing and  riding  a  wild  or  vicious  horse. 

During  the  Revolution,  Jackson,  then  a  lad  of  fourteen,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British, 
and  was  nearly  starved  to  death  by  them.  Once  the  commanding  officer  ordered  him  to 
clean  his  boots.  Young  Jackson  refused,  saying  that  he  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  therefore 
not  obliged  to  perform  such  acts  of  drudgery  for  his  captors.  The  officer,  in  a  rage,  struck 
him  with  his  sword,  cutting  a  gash  on  the  boy's  head  and  another  on  his  hand.  Jackson 
carried  the  scars  of  this  brutal  treatment  to  his  grave. 

In  1784  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  Salisbury,  North  Carolina.  Four  years  later  he 
emigrated  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  opened  a  law  office.   In  1797  he  was  elected 

226 


1829] 


JACKSON'S  "POLITICAL  REVOLUTION 


227 


In  character  Jackson  was  headstrong,  absolutely  honest,  and 
utterly  fearless.  When  he  was  roused,  there  was  a  flash  in  his 
gray  eyes  that  startled  one  like  the  gleam  of  a  drawn  sword.  His 
blunt  speech  and  decided  action  made  many  bitter  enemies,  but 
he  had  also  many  devoted  friends.  They  knew  him  to  be  a  warm- 
hearted, true-hearted,  high-minded  man. 

260.  President  Jackson's  "  Political  Revolution."  The  new 
President  began  his  administration  with  what  his  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  called  "a  great  political  revolution."  The  Presi- 
dent's friends  demanded  government  offices.  In  a  short  time  he 
turned  out  about  2000  men  from  their  posi- 
tions, and  gave  their  places  and  salaries  to 
those  who  had  voted  for  him. 

Jackson  believed  the  change  would  be  an 
advantage  to  the  country  ;  but  such  removals 
by  wholesale  had  never  been  made  before. 
During  the  forty  years  which  had  passed 
since  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  the 
six  Presidents  who  had  governed  the  coun- 
try had  dismissed,  at  the  most,  only  about 
140  persons  holding  office,  and  of  this  small 
number  five  were  removed  because  they  had  stolen  public  money. 

261.  Jefferson's  Removal  of  Government  Officers;  the  "Spoils 
System."  Jefferson  had  removed  more  persons  than  any  previous 
President  (§212).  His  object  was  to  give  each  political  party  an 
equal  share  of  offices.  When  he  had  made  that  division  he  said  that 
he  should  ask  only  three  questions  respecting  an  applicant :  "  Is 

United  States  senator,  but  soon  resigned  the  office,  K  partly,"  says  Parton,  w  because  he  felt 
himself  out  of  place  in  so  slow  and  dignified  a  body,  but  chiefly  for  pecuniary  reasons."  He 
was  again  elected  in  1823. 

During  the  War  of  18 12  Jackson  was  appointed  a  general  in  the  regular  army,  and  served 
the  country  with  distinguished  ability.  When  he  fought  the  British,  they  found,  to  their 
cost,  that  he  had  not  forgotten  how  they  used  him  in  the  Revolution.  He  also  gained  great 
popularity  with  his  men  in  his  battles  with  the  Indians,  and  his  wonderful  endurance  of 
hardships  got  for  him  the  affectionate  nickname  of  "  Old  Hickory." 

In  1828  General  Jackson  (with  John  C.  Calhoun,  of  South  Carolina,  for  Vice  President) 
was  elected  President  of  the  United  States  by  the  Democratic  party,  by  a  large  majority 
over  John  Quincy  Adams,  who  had  then  become  the  National  Republican  or  Whig  candi- 
date. In  1832  he  was  again  elected  (Martin  Van  Buren  of  New  York,  Vice  President)  over 
Henry  Clay,  the  Whig  candidate. 


Andrew  Jackson 


228       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1829-1831 

he  honest  ?  Is  he  capable  ?  Is  he  faithful  to  the  Constitution  ? " 
If  the  answer  was  "Yes,"  that  was  enough. 

When  Jackson  became  President  he  began,  as  we  have  seen, 
by  making  sweeping  dismissals  of  the  men  who  did  not  agree 
with  him  in  politics.  He  filled  their  places  with  those  —  and  those 
only  —  who  voted  as  he  thought  right.  In  doing  this  he  intended, 
as  he  said,  to  effect  a  great  "  reform  "  ;  but  his  action  established 
the  "  spoils  system,"  1  which  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Benton,  and 
other  eminent  statesmen  denounced. 

262.  William  Lloyd  Garrison;  Dr.  Channing;  the  Anti-Slavery 
Movement.  The  question  about  filling  government  offices  was 
pushed  out  of  sight  by  the  greater  question  about  slavery.  On 
New  Year's  Day,  1831,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  then  a  "poor, 
unlearned  young  man,"  2  published  in  Boston  the  first  number 
of  his  paper  called  the  Liberator.  Mr.  Garrison  was  its  editor, 
owner,  publisher,  printer,  and  carrier.  The  Liberator  demanded 
the  "  immediate  and  unconditional  emancipation  of  every  slave 
held  in  the  United  States."  Mr.  Garrison  was  resolved  to  free 
the  negro,  even  if  he  had  to  destroy  the  Union  to  do  it.3 

The  Southern  planters  believed  the  editor  of  the  new  paper 
had  lost  his  reason  ;  most  people  at  the  North  agreed  with  them.4 
Even  many  warm  friends  of  the  negro  thought  Mr.  Garrison  was 
wholly  wrong  in  his  methods.    They  felt  as  Dr.  Channing  did. 

1  "  Spoils  System  "  :  so  called  because,  in  1832,  Senator  Marcy  of  New  York  declared  that 
"  to  the  victors  belong  the  spoils  "  ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  successful  political  party  in 
an  election  has  the  right  to  make  all  it  can  out  of  it  in  the  way  of  offices  and  salaries. 

2  See  James  Russell  Lowell's  poem  "  To  W.  L.  Garrison,"  beginning 

"  In  a  small  chamber,  friendless  and  unseen, 
Toiled  o'er  his  types  one  poor,  unlearned  young  man." 

3  After  laboring  many  years  in  the  cause  of  emancipation,  Mr.  Garrison  finally  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  upheld  slavery,  and  that  the  dis- 
solution of  the  Union,  by  depriving  the  South  of  the  support  of  the  North,  would  hasten 
the  liberation  of  the  slaves.  In  consequence  of  this  conviction,  he  violently  denounced  the 
Constitution  (in  words  taken  from  Isaiah  xxviii.  15)  as  "a  covenant  with  death  and  an  agree- 
ment with  hell."  These  words  were  then  regularly  printed  at  the  top  of  the  Liberator  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  when  they  were  dropped. 

4  Mr.  Garrison  said  that  he  found  the  prejudice  and  contempt  of  Northern  men  harder 
to  deal  with  than  that  of  the  slaveholders.  In  an  address  to  the  public  in  the  first  number 
of  the  Liberator  he  used  these  words:  "  I  am  in  earnest — I  will  not  equivocate  —  I  will 
not  excuse  —  I  will  not  retreat  a  single  inch  —  and  /  will  be  heard."  See  Life  of  W.  L. 
Garrison,  by  his  children 


1831]  INSURRECTION  OF  SLAVES  229 

That  eminent  man  wrote  to  Daniel  Webster,  declaring  that  we 
should  say  to  the  South,  "  We  consider  slavery  as  your  calamity, 
not  your  crime  ;  and  we  will  share  with  you  the  burden  of  putting 
an  end  to  it."  * 

263.  Insurrection  of  Slaves  in  Virginia;  Mr.  Garrison  mobbed 
in  Boston.  It  so  happened  that  in  the  summer  following  the 
publication  of  the  Liberator,  a  terrible  negro  insurrection  broke 
out  in  Virginia.  The  slaves  engaged  in  it  massacred  over  sixty 
white  men,  women,  and  children.  Many  Southern  people  believed 
that  Mr.  Garrison's  object  was  to  stir  up  the  negroes  to  rise  and 
murder  their  masters.  There  was  no  truth  in  the  belief,  but  it 
powerfully  increased  the  excitement  at  the  South. 

In  the  North,  Mr.  Garrison's  appeals  in  behalf  of  the  freedom 
of  the  blacks  roused  almost  equal  excitement.  Gangs  of  "roughs" 
broke  up  meetings  held  to  discuss  emancipation,  and  on  one  occa- 
sion a  howling  mob  dragged  the  editor  of  the  Liberator  through 
the  streets  of  Boston  with  a  rope  round  his  body. 

These  violent  outbreaks  were  not  made  out  of  hatred  to  the 
negro,  but  out  of  fear  that  Mr.  Garrison  was  putting  the  country 
in  peril.  Many  thoughtful  men  who  were  opposed  to  slavery 
believed  that,  on  the  whole,  it  was  better  to  save  the  Union  with 
slavery  than  to  deliberately  destroy  it  for  the  sake  of  liberating 
the  negro.  Daniel  Webster  held  that  idea,  and  so,  as  we  shall 
see  later,  did  Abraham  Lincoln  (§319  and  note  to  the  Proclama- 
tion of  Emancipation,  facing  page  303). 

264.  Formation  of  Abolition  Societies;  Petitions  to  Congress 
about  Slavery ;  what  John  Quincy  Adams  did.  Mr.  Garrison  be- 
lieved that  he  was  right,  and  persisted  in  demanding  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  slaves,  Union  or  no  Union.  His  influence  spread. 
In  a  few  years  nearly  2000  societies  had  been  formed  in  the  North 
for  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Then  many  people  began  to  petition 
Congress  to  set  free  all  slaves  held  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

1  See  Dr.  W.  E.  Channing's  letter  to  Daniel  Webster  (Webster's  Works),  May  14, 1828. 
Dr.  Channing  proposed  that  the  United  States  should  appropriate  the  money  from  the  sale 
of  the  public  lands,  buy  the  slaves  from  their  owners,  and  set  them  free.  Could  that  have 
been  done,  it  would  have  saved  us  four  years  of  civil  war.  England  bought  her  West  India 
slaves,  and  freed  them,  in  1833,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  million  dollars. 


230      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1832 

Congress  finally  resolved  not  to  receive  such  petitions.  Ex- 
President  John  Quincy  Adams  (§  249),  then  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  denounced  these  resolutions  as  "  gag 
rules,"  which  forbade  debate  and  were  contrary  to  the  Constitu- 
tion.1 He  insisted  on  presenting  every  petition  that  was  sent  to 
him,  and  sometimes  offered  200  or  more  in  a  single  day,  amid 
cries  of  "  Treason !  "  and  yells  of  "  Put  him  out !  "  From  this 
period  the  discussion  of  slavery  never  ceased  until  the  North 
and  the  South  took  up  arms  to  settle  it  on  the  battlefield. 

265.  President  Jackson  puts  an  End  to  the  Second  United 
States  Bank ;  Removal  of  the  Deposits.  While  the  great  question 
of  emancipation  was  being  hotly  debated,  Jackson  was  attacking 
the  United  States  Bank  (§  202)  which  had  been  reestablished 
(18 16).  He  believed,  as  did  Senator  Benton  of  Missouri,2  that  it 
was  badly  managed  and  unsafe.  For  these  reasons  he  refused  to 
sign  a  bill3  (1832)  to  renew  the  right  of  the  bank  to  continue 
business.    This  refusal  soon  closed  the  bank. 

The  year  following  this  action  the  President  removed  nearly 
$10,000,000  of  the  public  money  which  the  government  had  kept 
in  the  bank.  This  amount,  with  about  $30,000,000  more,  was 
deposited  later  (1836)  in  a  number  of  small  banks  (nicknamed 
"pet  banks")  in  the  different  states.  Speculators  borrowed  large 
sums  of  this  government  money  and  used  it  to  buy  land ;  their 
course  excited  others,  and  soon  people  all  over  the  country  were 
crazy  with  wild  schemes  for  getting  suddenly  rich. 

266.  South  Carolina  resists  the  Tariff  taxing  Imported  Goods. 
The  South  was  at  this  time  strongly  opposed  to  having  heavy 
duties  or  taxes  imposed  on  goods  brought  into  the  United  States. 
We  have  seen  (§241)  that  the  reason  for  this  opposition  was 

1  On  the  right  of  the  people  to  petition  the  government,  see  Amendments  to  the  Consti- 
tution, Article  I ;  but  compare  the  right  of  Congress  to  make  rules  for  its  proceedings 
(Constitution,  Article  I,  Section  5). 

2  Colonel  Thomas  H.  Benton  was  one  of  the  most  decided  opponents  of  the  bank.  He 
thought  paper  money  was  unsafe,  and  urged  Congress  to  adopt  gold  and  silver  currency 
instead  of  bank  bills.  His  able  speeches  on  this  subject  of  "  hard  money  "  got  for  him  the 
nickname  of  "  Old  Bullion." 

8  Bill :  a  law  proposed  by  Congress ;  except  in  certain  cases,  it  requires  the  President's 
signature  to  make  it  complete.  When  he  returns  a  bill  unsigned  he  is  said  to  veto  it.  See 
the  Constitution,  Article  I,  Section  7. 


1832]  PREPARATIONS   FOR  WAR  231 

that  the  people  of  the  South  had  never  established  manufactories 
in  any  number,  and  therefore  had  to  buy  their  woolen  and  cotton 
cloth  either  from  the  northern  states,  where  large  quantities  were 
made,  or  from  Europe.  As  labor  was  cheaper  in  Europe  than  in 
this  country,  the  wealthy  mill  owners  in  England  could  afford  to 
make  cloth,  send  it  to  the  United  States,  and  sell  it  at  a  much  lower 
price  than  it  could  be  made  here.  Henry  Clay,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Kentucky  (§  243),  was  particularly  anxious  to  make  the 
American  producers  and  manufacturers  independent  of  Europe. 
He  succeeded  in  establishing  high  protective  tariffs  (1824,  1828, 
1832).  These  tariffs  levied  a  heavy  duty  or  tax  on  many  im- 
ported goods  and  so  protected  the  American  manufacturer  of  cot- 
ton, woolen,  iron,  and  other  goods  against  all  foreign  competitors.1 
Finally,  South  Carolina  resolved  to  resist  these  duties. 

267.  John  C.  Calhoun;  Nullification;  Preparations  for  War. 
John  C.  Calhoun2  of  South  Carolina,  who  was  then  Vice  Presi- 
dent, protested  against  this  "  Tariff  of  Abominations,"  as  he  called 
it.  He  asserted  that  it  compelled  the  South  to  pay  such  a  price 
for  cloth  and  other  goods  that  the  people  were  constantly  growing 
poorer,  while  the  Northern  manufacturers,  on  the  other  hand,  were 
getting  rich  at  their  expense.  He  therefore  demanded  free  trade. 
To  this  the  North  answered  that  free  trade  would  ruin  the  factory 

1  From  the  outset  a  division  of  opinion  existed  in  regard  to  the  power  of  the  government 
to  levy  duties.  The  Democrats  generally  contended  that,  strictly  interpreted,  the  Constitu- 
tion did  not  give  Congress  authority  to  impose  duties  beyond  what  would  be  sufficient  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  government  and  furnish  money  for  the  payment  of  the  national 
debt.  This  party  demanded  simply  a  Revenue  Tariff.  The  Federalists  and  Whigs  generally 
held  that  the  Constitution  gave  Congress  the  right  to  levy  duties  not  only  for  revenue  but 
also  to  encourage  the  production  of  goods  at  home,  as  opposed  to  their  purchase  from 
foreign  producers.  These  two  parties  (and  later  the  Republican  party)  advocated  a  Pro- 
tective Tariff.  Such  a  tariff  was  imposed  in  1816,  1824,  1828,  1832,  and  1842.  In  1846,  and 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  we  maintained  what  was  practically  a  Revenue  Tariff. 
During  the  war  heavy  duties  became  the  rule.  Later,  they  were  considerably  reduced,  but  in 
1890  and  1897  the  Republicans  enacted  very  high  Protective  Tariffs. 

2  John  C  Calhoun,  born  in  Abbeville  district,  South  Carolina,  1782  ;  died  1850.  Like 
Jackson,  he  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  (§  92).  He  entered  Congress  in  1810.  He  was  elected 
Vice  President  in  1824  and  in  1828.  In  1832  he  resigned  his  office,  and  was  chosen  United 
States  senator.  He  was  at  first  a  supporter  of  a  protective  tariff,  but  later  became  a  strong 
advocate  of  free  trade.  He  was  one  of  the  few  leading  men  who  taught  that  slavery  is  w  a 
positive  good,"  an  advantage  alike  to  the  negro  and  to  his  owner.  His  nature  was  "  as  great 
as  it  was  pure."  Webster,  his  chief  political  opponent,  said  of  him  that  nothing  K  low  or 
meanly  selfish  came  near  the  head  or  the  heart  of  Mr.  Calhoun." 


232       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1830-1833 

owners  and  compel  them  to  close  their  factories.  Congress  refused 
to  abolish  the  protective  tariff. 

Calhoun  told  the  people  of  South  Carolina  that  the  tariff  law 
was  contrary  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  He  said 
that  they  ought  to  refuse  to  obey  it  (§  210).  They  took  his  advice, 
and  held  a  state  convention  at  which  they  declared  that  (after 
February  1,  1833)  they  would  not  pay  duties  on  goods  imported 
into  Charleston  from  Europe.  This  refusal  was  called  nullification. 
In  Charleston  preparations  were  made  to  resist  the  collection  of 
the  duty.  Governor  Hayne,  of  South  Carolina,  threatened  that  if 
the  government  used  force,  his  state  would  secede  from  the  Union 
and  declare  itself  independent. 

268.  Webster's  Reply  to  Hayne  and  Calhoun;  what  we  owe 
to  Webster.  When,  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  Senator  Hayne, 
of  South  Carolina  (1830),  boldly  upheld  the  right  of  nullification 
(§  267),  Daniel  Webster1  replied  to  him,  closing  with  the  well- 
known  words  :  "  Liberty  and  Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and 
inseparable."  Later,  when  Calhoun  in  the  United  States  Senate 
defended  the  right  of  secession,  Webster  made  a  powerful  speech, 
in  which  he  declared  that  "there  can  be  no  secession  without  rev- 
olution." He  saw  that  if  a  state  is  resolved  to  leave  the  Union, 
the  national  government,  sword  in  hand,  must  insist  that  it  shall 
remain  in  its  place  and  obey  the  laws. 

We  owe  an  immense  debt  to  Webster's  commanding  eloquence 
on  this  subject.  In  the  remarkable  series  of  speeches  which  he 
delivered  at  this  period  (1 830-1 833),  he  made  Americans  realize 
the  inestimable  value  and  sacredness  of  the  Union  as  they  had 
never  felt  it  before.  Thirty  years  later  when  the  Civil  War  threat- 
ened to  destroy  the  nation,  the  reverence  for  the  Constitution  and 
the  Union  with  which  that  great  statesman  had  inspired  so  many 

1  Daniel  Webster,  born  at  Salisbury,  New  Hampshire,  1782  (see  note  to  §  92)  ;  died  at 
his  residence  at  Marshfield,  near  Boston,  1852.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  and 
began  the  practice  of  law  in  1805.  In  1812  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  again  in  1822. 
From  this  time  forward  he  was  constantly  in  public  life,  as  representative,  senator,  or  in  the 
cabinet.  He  was  unquestionably  the  greatest  orator  this  country  has  produced,  and  as  a 
statesman  he  stood  second  to  none.  His  defense  of  the  Union  in  his  second  reply  to  Senator 
Hayne,  January  26-27,  1830,  has  been  called  "the  most  remarkable  speech  ever  made  in  the 
American  Congress."    Webster's  "  Reply  to  Calhoun  "  was  delivered  February  16,  1833. 


John  C.  Calhoun 


233 


234       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1832-1837 

hearts,  made  thousands  willing  to  die  to  save  it.  The  North  and 
the  South  are  now  one.  Discord  has  passed  away,  and  as  brothers 
we  join  in  honoring  the  memory  of  Daniel  Webster  for  his  services 
to  our  common  country. 

269.  Jackson's  Fidelity  to  the  Union;  his  Orders  to  General 
Scott ;  Henry  Clay  obtains  a  New  Tariff.  President  Jackson  had 
the  same  feeling  that  Webster  had  of  the  necessity  of  preserving 
the  Union.  He  did  not  like  the  protective  tariff  as  it  then  stood 
(§  267),  but  he  resolved  to  enforce  it  so  long  as  it  remained  law. 
He  saw  that  what  was  called  the  doctrine  of  "  State  Sovereignty," 
that  is,  the  so-called  right  of  a  state  to  decide  for  itself  when  it 
would  obey  Congress  and  when  it  would  not  (§§210,  267),  was 
destructive  of  all  national  government. 

The  Union,  said  he,  is  at  present  like  a  bag  of  meal  with  both 
ends  open.  Whichever  way  you  try  to  handle  it  you  will  spill  the 
meal.    "  I  must  tie  the  bag  and  save  the  country." 

So  saying,  the  President  ordered  General  Scott  (1832)  to  go 
forthwith  to  Charleston  and  enforce  the  law.  It  was  done,  and 
the  duties  on  imported  goods  in  that  city  were  collected  as  usual. 

A  few  months  later  (1833)  Henry  Clay,  the  "'great  compro- 
miser and  peacemaker "  (§  243),  succeeded  in  getting  Congress 
to  adopt  a  new  tariff  which  gradually  reduced  the  duties  or  taxes 
on  foreign  goods.  This  change  of  policy  pacified  South  Carolina 
and  that  state  said  nothing  more  about  nullification  (§  267).  At 
that  time  we  were  very  prosperous  and  did  not  owe  a  dollar  of 
public  debt. 

270.  Growth  of  the  Country;  Extension  of  Canals  and  Rail- 
ways; Use  of  Coal;  the  Express  System.  With  the  exception  of  a 
very  destructive  fire  in  New  York  City  (1835),  Jackson's  presidency 
was  a  period  of  rapid  growth  for  the  entire  country,  but  especially 
for  the  West.  New  canals  had  been  opened  (§  249),  lines  of  steam- 
boats had  been  established  on  the  principal  western  rivers  and 
on  all  the  Great  Lakes  (§  220),  and  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive 
was  beginning  to  be  heard  beyond  the  Alleghenies  (§§254,  255). 
Arkansas  and  the  rapidly  growing  territory  of  Michigan  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  Union  (1 836-1 837),  making  twenty-six  states  in  all. 


Daniel  Webster 


235 


236       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1832- 


Both  hard  and  soft  coal 1  had  been  found  in  immense  quantities 
in   Pennsylvania,  and  they  were  now  coming  into  use  for  manu- 
facturing.   These  coal  mines  have  been  worth  more  to  the  country 
than  all  the  gold  mines  of  California. 

The  increased  activity  of  the  country,  in  connection  with  steam- 
boats and  railways,  gave  rise  to  a  new  enterprise.    A  young  man 
named  Harnden2  conceived  the  plan  of  making  a  business  of 
carrying  parcels  between  Boston  and  New  York,  and  shortly  after 
(1839)  began  it.    At  first  a  small  hand  bag  was  sufficient  to  hold 
all  the  articles  sent.    In  that  humble  way  he  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  American  express  system,  which  now  extends  to  every  town 
-  -- ------.-  of  the  United  States, 

and  employs  millions 
of  money  and  an  army 
of  men  to  do  its  work. 
271.  Indian  Wars; 
Growth  of  the  West; 
Chicago.  The  increased 
growth  of  the  country 
alarmed  Black  Hawk, 
a  famous  Indian  chief 
at  the  West,  and  he 
(1832),  at  the  head  of 
a  large  body  of  Indians,  attempted  to  prevent  emigrants  from 
taking  possession  of  public  lands  in  the  state  of  Illinois  and  the 
territories  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  He  was  defeated  and  driven 
beyond  the  Mississippi.  This  greatly  encouraged  emigration  to 
the  western  states  and  territories. 

Shortly  after  this  the  second  Seminole  War  began  (1835)  in 
Florida  (§238).  The  Indians  were  led  by  Osceola,  a  celebrated 
chief,  who  had  been  badly  treated  by  the  whites.    The  war  lasted 


Indians  attacking  Emigrants  in  the  West 


1  Hard  or  anthracite  coal  was  not  discovered  until  1790.  The  first  load  taken  to  Phila- 
delphia, in  1803,  was  used  as  stone  to  mend  roads. 

2  William  Frederick  Harnden  was  born  in  Reading,  Massachusetts,  in  1813;  died  1845. 
On  his  monument,  erected  at  Mount  Auburn  cemetery,  near  Boston,  by  the  w  Express 
Companies  of  the  United  States,"  he  is  called  the  "  Founder  of  the  Express  Business  in 
America." 


1833] 


ART,   BOOKS,  AND  NEWSPAPERS 


237 


nearly  seven  years.  The  Indians  were  defeated  by  Colonel  Zach- 
ary  Taylor ;  they  were  finally  conquered,  and  all  but  a  few  were 
sent  west  of  the  Mississippi  by 
General  Worth. 

On  the  southwestern  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  stood  Fort  Dear- 
born. A  struggling  slab  village  was 
growing  up  on  the  mud  flats  around 
it.  Two  years  later  (1833),  the  little 
settlement  took  the  name  of  Chi- 
cago. It  had  then  become  a  lively 
town  of  between  five  and  six  hun- 
dred inhabitants,  and  some  of  its 
people  were  bold  enough  to  think 
that  it  might  grow  to  be  still  larger 
"  Greater  Chicago 


Chicago  in  1833 


To-day  the  population  of 
is  estimated  at  about  2,500,000.    It  stands 
the    great    metropolis    of   the 
Northwest. 

272.  American  Art,  Books, 
and  Newspapers.  America  had 
already  produced  five  emi- 
nent painters  —  West,  Copley, 
Stuart,  Trumbull^an€PAllstoji,„ 
We~aIso  had  three  noted  writ- 
ers. They  were  Cooper,  the 
novelist,  who  wrote  exciting 
tales  of  life  on  the  sea  and 
in  the  wilderness  ;  Bryant,  our 
first  great  poet ;  and  Washing- 
ton Irving,  the  author  of  HRlp 
Van  Winkle "  and  of  many 
more  delightful  stories. 
Chicago  To-Day  But  when  Jackson  was  first 

elected  a  book  had  just  been 
published  (1828)  in  this  country  which  was  in  one  respect  more 
remarkable  than  any  that  had  yet  appeared,  for  it  contained  the 


238       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1833- 

whole  English  language.1  This  was  Webster's  Dictionary,  by 
Noah  Webster  of  Connecticut.  It  had  cost  the  author  and  com- 
piler nearly  twenty  years  of  labor,  and  it  made  his  name  and 
work  known  in  every  schoolhouse  of  the  United  States. 

Following  Webster  came  the  poets  Whittier,  Longfellow,  Holmes, 
Lowell,  and  Poe  ;  Emerson,  with  his  wonderful  essays  on  nature  ; 
Hawthorne,  with  his  stories  of  New  England ;  Audubon,  with 
his  magnificent  work  on  the  "  Birds  of  America "  ;  Bancroft, 
with  his  history  of  the  United  States,  followed  by  the  historians 
Prescott,  Motley,  and  Parkman.  It  was  the  beginning  of  Ameri- 
can literature.2 

About  the  same  time  (1833)  the  New  York  Sun,  the  first  cheap 
American  newspaper  ever  published,  which  sold  for  one  cent, 
appeared  in  New  York.  From  that  time  forward  the  poorest 
man  could  afford  to  carry  home  in  his  pocket  at  night  a  daily 
history  of  the  world's  doings. 

273.  Henry  Clay  and  the  Whigs.  During  Jackson's  adminis- 
tration a  new  political  party  called  Whigs  came  into  existence. 
They  vehemently  opposed  Jackson's  measures  and  favored  the 
continuance  of  the  United  States  Bank. 

Henry  Clay  (§§  243,  269),  the  leader  of  the  new  party,  had  a 
strong  desire  to  become  President.  He  hoped  that  the  votes  of 
the  Whigs  would  elect  him. 

274.  Summary.  Six  important  events  marked  the  administra- 
tion of  Andrew  Jackson.  They  were:  (1)  the  beginning  of  the 
system  of  removals  from  government  offices  for  political  reasons ; 
(2)  the  commencement  of  the  anti-slavery  movement  by  William 

1  The  best  English  dictionary  before  Webster's  was  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson's,  first  published 
in  London  in  1755.  It  had  not  really  been  revised  for  seventy  years,  and  was  very  unsatis- 
factory to  Americans,  since  it  did  not  contain  many  familiar  American  words,  such  as  "  con- 
gress "  (in  the  sense  of  a  national  legislature),  "savings  bank,"  "prairie,"  and  hundreds  of 
others.  Webster  thought  that  America  had  as  good  a  right  to  coin  new  words  as  England 
had.  He  accordingly  included  these  words  in  his  dictionary ;  in  his  definitions  he  was 
generally  far  superior  to  Johnson. 

2  For  interesting  examples  of  poems  connected  with  American  history,  see  Whittier's 
"  Laus  Deo,"  "  Our  State,"  and  the  "  Song  of  the  Kansas  Emigrant " ;  Longfellow's  "  Paul 
Revere's  Ride " ;  Holmes'  "  Grandmother's  Story  of  Bunker  Hill " ;  Lowell's  "  Present 
Crisis,"  "  Jonathan  to  John,"  "  Commemoration  Ode,  1865  " ;  Emerson's  "  Concord  Hymn  "; 
and  Bryant's  "  Song  of  Marion's  Men,"  and  Joaquin  Miller's  *  Columbus." 


1837]  VAN  BUREN'S  ADMINISTRATION  239 

Lloyd  Garrison ;  (3)  the  overthrow  of  the  United  States  Bank ; 
(4)  the  dispute  over  the  protective  tariff,  and  the  "  nullification  " 
of  acts  of  Congress  by  South  Carolina ;  (5)  the  rise  of  the  Whig 
party;  (6)  Indian  wars  in  the  West  and  South;  (7)  the  rise  of 
American  literature  and  of  cheap  newspapers. 

h 

Martin  Van  Buren1 

275.  Van  Burets  Administration  (Eighth  President,  One  Term, 
1837-1841);  Business  Failures ;  Financial  Panic.  In  his  farewell 
address,  President  Jackson  had  said,  "  I  leave  this  great  people 
prosperous  and  happy."  But  Mr.  Van  Buren  had  scarcely  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office  when  a  large  business  house  in  New 
Orleans  failed  (1837).  It  was  the  beginning  of  a  panic  in  trade 
and  money  matters  which  swept  over  the  country  like  the  waters 
of  a  destroying  flood. 

In  ten  days  one  hundred  merchants  in  New  York  City  had  lost 
everything;  and  within  two  months  the  total  business  failures  in 
that  city  reached  $100,000,000.  Next,  the  banks  began  to  fail; 
and  the  difficulty  of  getting  gold  or  silver  became  so  great  that 
even  the  United  States  government  had  to  pay  the  army  and  navy 
in  paper  money,  which,  if  it  chanced  to  be  good  to-day,  might  be 
worthless  to-morrow.  John  Quincy  Adams  (§  249)  declared  that, 
"  without  a  dollar  of  national  debt,  we  are  in  the  midst  of  national 
bankruptcy." 

276.  Stoppage  of  Trade;  Distress  among  Workmen;  Failures 
of  States ;  Causes  of  the  Panic.  Soon  factories  and  mills  stopped 
running,  and  nearly  all  trade  came  to  a  standstill.  Thousands  of 
workmen  were  suddenly  thrown  out  of  employment,  and  saw  no 
way  of  earning  bread  for  themselves  and  their  families. 

Many  states  had  borrowed  large  sums  of  money  in  Europe  for 
the  purpose  of  building  roads,   canals,   and  railways.    In   seven 

1  Martin  Van  Buren  was  born  in  New  York  in  1782;  died  in  1862.  He  was  United 
States  senator  from  1821-1828,  governor  of  New  York  later,  and  Secretary  of  State 
under  Jackson,  1829-1831.  In  1836  he  was  elected  President  (R.  M.  Johnson  of  Ken- 
tucky, Vice  President)  by  the  Democratic  party,  over  General  W.  H.  Harrison,  the  Whig 
candidate. 


240      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1837-1840 

years  the  total  debt  of  this  kind  had  risen  from  $13,000,000  to 
nearly  $200,000,000.  It  was  exceedingly  difficult,  if  not  impos- 
sible, for  a  number  of  these  states  l  to  raise  money  to  meet  the 
interest ;  and  one  state  positively  refused  to  pay  anything  what- 
ever, whether  interest  or  principal.  This  desperate  state  of  things 
had  three  chief  causes. 

1.  Jackson's  successful  attack  on  the  second  United  States  Bank 
(§265)  encouraged  the  establishment  of  a  great  number  of  worth- 
less state  banks,  especially  in  the  West. 

2.  People  borrowed  large  sums  of  paper  money  from  these 
state  banks  and  bought  immense  tracts  of  government  land  at 
high  prices.  Some  of  the  land  was  in  the  backwoods  of  Maine, 
and  some  of  it  consisted  of  town  lots  in  so-called  western  "  cities." 
These  "  cities  "  often  had  no  existence  except  on  plans  shown  by 
speculators,  or  they  were  perhaps  six  feet  under  water. 

3.  The  national  government  suddenly  called  in  the  gold  and 
silver  which  it  had  deposited  in  certain  state  banks,  nicknamed 
"pet  banks"  (§265),  and  refused  to  sell  any  more  public  land 
except  for  hard  cash.  This  condition  of  things  made  every  one 
anxious  to  get  coin  at  a  time  when  it  was  not  to  be  had. 

The  result  was  that  property  of  all  kinds  fell  in  price,  men  could 
neither  collect  debts  nor  pay  them,  the  state  banks  could  not  get 
specie  to  redeem  their  bills,  and  the  crash  came.  After  a  time 
confidence  began  to  be  restored,  business  sprang  up,  and  a  new 
period  of  prosperity  commenced. 

277.  The  Government  establishes  an  Independent  Treasury. 
This  panic  in  business  had  at  least  one  good  result.  Up  to  this 
time  the  national  government  had  never  taken  entire  charge  of 
its  own  money,  but  had  let  one  or  more  banks  have  the  care  of 
it.  The  disastrous  failure  of  these  "pet  banks"  (§276)  taught . 
Congress  a  lesson;  and  the  United  States  opened  (1840)  an 
independent  treasury  at   Washington,   with  branches,    known  as 

1  Seven  states  —  Arkansas,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  Michigan,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Florida,  then  a  territory  —  suspended  payment  of  interest.  Mississippi  repu- 
diated her  entire  debt  on  the  ground  that  it  had  been  incurred  in  violation  of  the  state 
constitution.  Sydney  Smith's  "  Letters  on  American  Debts,"  Dickens'  "American  Notes" 
and  "  Martin  Chuzzlewit "  show  how  sore  the  English  creditors  felt  about  these  failures. 


1840] 


RISE  OF  THE  MORMONS 


241 


subtreasuries,1  in  the  chief  cities.  The  experiment  was  given  up  the 
next  year,  but  later  (1846)  this  system  was  permanently  established. 
In  this  way  the  government  was  protected  against  loss. 

278.  Rise  of  the  Mormons ;  Nauvoo.  While  Van  Buren  was  Pres- 
ident a  new  religious  community,  called  Mormons,  settled  in  Illinois. 
Its  founder  was  Joseph  Smith,  a  native  of  Vermont.2  While  living  in 
New  York  he  declared  that  an  angel  from  heaven  gave  him  a  number 
of  golden  plates,  like 
sheets  of  tin,  on  which  a 
new  scripture  was  writ- 
ten called  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon."  3 

Smith  went  to  Ohio, 
to  Missouri,  and,  finally, 
to  Illinois,  where  he 
and  his  followers,  the 
"  Latter  Day  Saints  " 
or  Mormons,  built  the 
"  Holy  City  "  of  Nau- 
voo, or  the  "  Beautiful 
City,"  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi.  Smith  said  that  God  told  him  that  every  true  Mor- 
mon marriage  would  last  forever,  and  he  urged  every  good  Mormon 
to  marry  more  than  one  wife.  Those,  said  he,  who  keep  this  law 
will,  in  the  next  world,  "  pass  by  the  angels  "  in  glory.4 


Emigration  of  the  Mormons 


1  Subtreasuries :  from  the  Latin  word  sub,  meaning  "  under " ;  hence  subordinate,  or 
smaller  treasuries.  The  chief  treasury  is  in  the  Treasury  Building  at  Washington ;  the  sub- 
treasuries  are  in  (i)  New  York,  (2)  Philadelphia,  (3)  Chicago,  (4)  Boston,  (5)  St.  Louis, 
(6)  Cincinnati,  (7)  San  Francisco,  (8)  New  Orleans,  (9)  Baltimore. 

2  Joseph  Smith  was  born  in  1805  in  Sharon,  Vermont,  and  was  murdered  at  Carthage, 
Illinois,  in  1844.  He  said  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  written  in  an  unknown  tongue,  but 
that  the  angel  provided  him  with  a  peculiar  kind  of  glasses  by  which  to  read  and  translate 
it  The  Mormons  declare,  "  We  believe  the  Bible  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  so  far  as  it  is 
translated  correctly ;  we  also  believe  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  be  the  Word  of  God." 

3  Mormon :  a  name  derived  from  that  of  the  alleged  writer  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  a 
Jew,  who,  as  the  Mormons  believe,  lived  in  this  country  about  a  thousand  years  before 
Columbus  discovered  it. 

4  This  doctrine  (see  the  Mormon  "  Book  of  Covenants  and  Doctrine  ")  was  not  fully 
published  to  the  world  until  1852.  One  branch  of  the  Mormons  —  the  "  Josephites  "  —  deny 
that  Smith  ever  taught  the  doctrine,  but  say  it  was  invented  by  Brigham  Young  and  others. 


242       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1841- 

Shortly  after  this,  several  persons  who  had  belonged  to  the 
Mormons  began  publishing  a  paper  in  Nauvoo,  in  which  they 
accused  Smith  of  leading  an  evil  life.  Smith  broke  up  the  paper. 
For  this  he  was  arrested,  and  while  in  jail  at  Carthage  (1844)  was 
shot  by  a  mob  who  had  no  faith  in  him  or  his  religion. 

279.  Emigration  of  the  Mormons  to  Utah;  what  they  have 
accomplished  there.  Brigham  Young  of  Vermont  —  a  man  as 
keen-sighted  in  the  things  of  this  world  as  it  was  said  Smith  had 
been  in  those  of  the  other  —  now  became  leader  of  the  Mormons  ; 
but  the  people  around  Nauvoo  forced  the  "  Saints  "  to  leave,  and 
cross  the  Mississippi.  Young  started  for  the  Far  West  (1847), 
and,  with  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  followers,  reached  Salt  Lake, 
in  territory  then  belonging  to  Mexico,  but  which  is  now  the  state 
of  Utah.  Later,  he  led  a  much  larger  number  of  Mormon  emi- 
grants to  the  same  place.  It  was  a  journey  of  1500  miles  through 
the  wilderness.    The  country  bordering  on  the  lake  was  a  desert. 

The  hunters  of  that  desolate  region  predicted  that  the  Mormons 
would  starve.  But  Young  set  his  company  to  work  digging  ditches 
to  bring  water  from  the  mountains ;  every  street  in  the  village  had 
two  of  these  ditches  running  through  the  length  of  it,  one  on  each 
side.  The  abundant  supply  of  water  soon  made  the  dead,  dry  soil 
green  with  waving  crops  of  wheat  and  corn.  It  was  an  object  lesson 
in  irrigation  which  has  been  of  inestimable  value  in  many  parts  of 
the  West  (§  430,  No.  3).  Industry  transformed  the  desert  into  a 
garden.  Since  then  the  Mormons  have  prospered.  Many  non- 
Mormons,  attracted  by  the  climate,  have  taken  residence  there. 
The  village  of  Salt  Lake  has  grown  to  be  a  flourishing  city.  The 
Mormons  finally  gave  up  their  peculiar  forms  of  marriage  (§  278) 
and  Utah  entered  the  Union  (1896). 

280.  Emigration  to  the  United  States;  Ocean  Steamships  and 
American  "Clipper  Ships ";  Growth  of  the  West.  Before  the 
Mormons  had  started  for  the  Far  West  an  immense  emigration 
from  Europe  to  the  United  States  began. 

Up  to  that  date  (1840)  the  total  number  of  immigrants  that 
had  landed  here  since  the  Revolution  was  probably  less  than  a 
million.    But  in  the  course  of  the  next  ten  years  (1840- 18 50)  the 


1841-]  EMIGRATION  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  243 

terrible  potato  famine  in  Ireland  and  the  "  hard  times  "  in  Ger- 
many drove  hundreds  of  thousands  to  seek  our  shores.  This  great 
stream  of  immigrants  has  never  ceased,  and  some  years  it  has 
averaged  more  than  20,000  newcomers  a  week ! 

Of  late  years  the  majority  of  those  who  come  are  Italians,  Rus- 
sians, and  Polish  Jews.  In  all,  more  than  20,000,000  foreigners 
have  settled  in  the  United  States  since  the  government  began 
to  keep  count  (1820).  This  enormous  number  includes  a  host  of 
Swedes  and  Norwegians,  who  have  become  western  farmers ; 
while  people  coming  from  other  parts  of  Europe  have  helped  to 
build  our  railways,  develop  our  coal  and  iron  mines,  and  work  in 
our  cotton  and  woolen  mills. 

For  many  years  we  kept  the  door  of  America  wide  open.  We 
asked  no  one  where  he  came  from.  We  asked  him  nothing  about 
his  health,  his  character,  or  his  intentions.  We  simply  took  him 
by  the  hand  and  said,  "  Come  in !  "  But  after  a  time  we  deter- 
mined (1882)  to  exclude  the  Chinese  and  certain  classes  of  white 
workingmen  (1887),  because  we  believed  that  their  cheap  labor 
would  bring  down  the  wages  of  our  own  laboring  men  (§  382). 
Later  (1907),  we  excluded  the  Japanese  for  the  same  reason. 

Now  we  go  further  than  that.  We  still  give  the  heartiest  of 
welcomes  to  all  who  can  help  us  make  our  country  stronger  and 
better.  But  to  those  who  come  to  America  to  beg,  to  steal,  to 
make  trouble,  or  who  would  in  any  way  do  us  more  harm  than 
good,  we  say,  "  Keep  out !  "  —  and  we  mean  what  we  say.1 

During  the  first  part  of  the  period  we  have  been  describing 
(1840-18 50)  a  very  great  change  took  place  in  ocean  navigation. 
The  Cunard  Company  of  Liverpool  established  the  first  regular 
line  of  ocean  steamers  in  the  world  (§  220),  and  Americans  began 
to  build  superb  "  clipper  ships  "  for  the  Atlantic  and  Asiatic  trade. 
These  wonderful  vessels  (which,  after  a  while,  were  superseded 
by  ships  built  of  iron,  and  then  by  steamers  built  of  steel)  far  sur- 
passed all  others  in  beauty  and  speed. 

1  Besides  the  Chinese,  Japanese,  and  alien  labor  immigrants,  our  laws  now  shut  out 
lunatics,  idiots,  criminals,  professional  beggars,  anarchists,  those  who  have  dangerous  and 
loathsome  diseases,  those  who  cannot  earn  their  bread,  and  other  objectionable  and  undesir- 
able persons. 


244       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1841- 

In  time  both  (<  clippers  "  and  steamers  helped  to  greatly  increase 
immigration  to  our  shores.  The  multitudes  who  came  to  America 
by  these  vessels  made  the  West  grow  "  by  leaps  and  bounds." 


A  Twentieth-Century  Ocean  Steamer 

To-day  a  single  one  of  these  huge  steamships,  some  of  which  ex- 
ceed 30,000  tons  burden,  often  brings  more  than  2000  immigrants. 

281.  Summary.  This  period  began  with  a  disastrous  panic  in 
trade  by  which  great  numbers  were  ruined ;  it  was  followed  by 
the  establishment  by  the  government  of  the  independent  treasury 
system ;  then  came  the  vastly  increased  emigration  from  Europe 
to  the  United  States,  the  establishment  of  lines  of  European  steam- 
ships on  the  Atlantic,  and  the  building  of  American  "  clipper  ships." 
Meanwhile  the  great  Mormon  movement  to  Utah  began. 

William  Henry  Harrison  (Whig)  ;  John  Tyler  (Democrat) 

282.  Harrison  and  Tylers  Administrations  (Ninth  and  Tenth 
Presidents,  One  Term,  1841-1845);  how  Harrison  was  elected; 
his  Death.  General  Harrison,1  <(  the  hero  of  Tippecanoe  "  (§  225), 
was  elected  President  amidst  the  wildest  excitement.  Ever  since 
the  election  of  Jefferson  (1800),  or  for  forty  years,  the  Democrats 

1  William  Henry  Harrison  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1773.  His  father,  Benjamin  Harrison, 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  From  1801  to  18 13  Harrison 
was  governor  of  what  was  then  the  territory  of  Indiana.  In  181 1  he  defeated  the  Indians  in 
a  great  battle  at  Tippecanoe,  Indiana  (§225).  During  the  War  of  1812  he  was  appointed  a 
major  general  in  the  regular  army.  Later,  he  returned  to  his  farm  at  North  Bend,  on  the 
Ohio,  near  Cincinnati.  In  1840  he  was  elected  President  (John  Tyler,  a  Democrat  of  Vir- 
ginia, Vice  President)  by  the  Whig  party,  by  an  immense  majority  over  Van  Buren,  the 
Democratic  candidate. 


1841-] 


ELECTION  OF  HARRISON 


245 


had  carried  the  day ;  now  their  opponents,  the  Whigs,1  were 
victors.  Harrison  was  then  living  on  his  farm,  in  a  clearing  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

He  was  popularly  known  as  "  the  Log-Cabin  candidate."  The 
farmers  of  the  West  gathered  to  his  support  with  a  will.  They 
had  monster  outdoor  meetings,  and  processions  miles  long,  in 
which  a  log  cabin  on  wheels 


was  always  a  conspicuous 
object,  with  its  live  coon 
fastened  on  the  roof,  and  its 
barrel  of  hard  cider  stand- 
ing handy  by  the  open  door. 
The  enthusiasm  increased 
more  and  more  as  election 
day  drew  near.  The  rous- 
ing song  of  "Tippecanoe 
and  Tyler  too  "  stirred  the 
blood  of  all  true  Whigs,  and 
with  shouts  of  exultation 
they  sent  the  occupant  of 
the  Ohio  log  cabin  to  re- 
side in  the  White  House 
at  Washington. 

A  month  later  President 

,.  -,  .  Harrison's  Election 

Harrison  died,  and  the  joy 

of  his  friends  was  suddenly  changed  into  mourning.  Vice  President 

Tyler,  who  was  practically  a  Democrat,2  now  became  President ; 3 


1  The  Whigs  (§  273)  wished  (1)  to  have  the  government  carry  on  the  building  of  canals, 
roads,  and  other  internal  improvements  ;  (2)  to  protect  manufactures  by  a  high  tariff ;  (3)  to 
reestablish  the  United  States  Bank,  and  part  of  the  Whigs  wished  to  restrict  the  extension 
of  slavery.  The  Democrats  held  that  each  state  should  make  its  own  improvements ;  that 
free  trade  was  better  than  protection  ;  that  an  independent  treasury  was  better  than  a  United 
States  Bank  ;  and  that  the  slavery  question  should  be  left  to  the  people  of  the  different  states. 

2  Tyler  was  in  most  respects  a  Democrat,  though  he  had  acted,  to  some  extent,  with  the 
Whigs.  The  Whigs  nominated  him  to  the  vice  presidency  in  order  to  secure  Southern  votes, 
and  thus  make  sure  of  electing  Harrison. 

3  In  case  of  the  death  of  the  President,  the  Constitution  provides  that  the  Vice  President 
shall  succeed  him.  See  the  Constitution,  Article  II,  Section  1,  Paragraph  6 ;  also  the  Presi- 
dential Succession  Act  (§  392). 


246       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1842- 

and  he  and  the  Whig  Congress  were  soon  engaged  in  a  series  of 
hopeless  political  quarrels. 

283.  The  Dorr  Rebellion;  the  Webster- Ashburton  Treaty;  the 
Anti-Renters.  In  Rhode  Island  the  right  to  vote  was  confined 
to  persons  holding  real  estate,  and  to  their  eldest  sons.  Newport, 
where  there  were  many  landholders,  had  six  representatives  in  the 
state  legislature,  while  Providence,  with  a  population  nearly  three 
times  as  great,  had  only  four.  The  party  in  favor  of  reform  finally 
framed  a  new  constitution,  and  elected  (1842)  Thomas  W.  Dorr 
for  governor.  The  opposite  or  state  government  party,  headed  by 
Governor  King,  denied  Dorr's  right  to  hold  office.  Both  sides 
took  up  arms,  but  no  blood  was  shed  and  nobody  was  hurt.  Dorr 
was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison,  but  was  released  a  few  years 
later,  and  lived  to  see  his  party  successful  in  the  reform  they 
had  attempted. 

The  same  year  (1842)  Daniel  Webster,  representing  the  United 
States^lmd  Lord  Ashburton,  representing  Great  Britain,  settled 
the  question  of  the  boundary  between  Maine  and  Canada,  by  an 
/agreement  known  as  the  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty.  The  dis- 
pute in  regard  to  the  true  line  between  the  two  countries  had  been 
wL  very  bitter,  and  the  friendly  settlement  of  the  controversy  was  of 
the  greatest  advantage  to  -both  England  and  America.  Further- 
more, this  treaty  fixed  our  northern  boundary  between  the  Lake  of 
the  Woods  (Minnesota)  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  at  the  49th 
parallel.    (Map,  p.  360.) 

At  the  same  time  Mr.  Webster  declared  that  in  future  England 
must  understand  that  our  flag  would  protect  American  vessels 
against  Great  Britain's  so-called  "right  of  search"  (§§  226,  233). 

In  New  York  the  tenants  of  the  Van  Rensselaer  family,  on  the 
Hudson  (§61),  refused  to  pay  rent  for  their  farms,  on  the  ground 
that  the  Revolution  had  swept  away  the  old  Dutch  methods  of 
letting  land.  It  became  necessary  to  call  out  a  military  force  to 
protect  the  sheriff  in  his  attempts  to  collect  the  rents  ;  finally  a 
political  party  was  formed  (1843),  favoring  the  anti-renters,  as  they 
were  called,  and  a  change  was  made  (1846)  in  the  state  constitu- 
tion for  their  benefit. 


1844-]  THE  ELECTRIC  TELEGRAPH,  1844  247 

284.  The  Electric  Telegraph,   1844;   Dr.  Morton's  Discovery. 

Two  years  later,  1844,  travelers  from  Baltimore  to  Washington 
saw  a  force  of  men  engaged  in  putting  up  several  lines  of  cop- 
per wire  on  a  row  of  lofty  poles  extending  between  the  two  cities. 
It  was  the  first  telegraph  line  erected  in  the  United  States,  or  in 
the  world.  After  four  years  of  weary  waiting,  Professor  Morse,1 
the  inventor  of  the  telegraph,  had  at  length  got  a  grant  of  $30,000 
from  Congress  for  the  purpose  of  proving  that  a  message  could 
be  sent  by  electricity  a  distance  of  forty  miles ! 

On  the  morning  of  May  24,  1 844,  Professor  Morse  took  his  seat 
at  the  telegraph  instrument  placed  in  the  Supreme  Court  Room 
in  the  Capitol.  Many  of  the  chief  officers  of  the  government  were 
present.  The  professor  pressed  the  key  of  the  instrument  with  his 
finger.  In  an  instant  the  waiting  operator  at  Baltimore  received 
the  message,  and  it  was  sent  back  to  the  Capitol.    Here  it  is  : 


What  hath  GOD 

w  r  o        ti  g  h  t. 

In  a  minute  of  time  these  words  had  traversed  a  circuit  of  eighty 
miles.  When  they  were  read  in  the  Court  Room  a  thrill  of  awe 
ran  through  those  who  reverently  listened ;  it  seemed  as  though 
the  finger  of  God,  not  man,  had  written  the  message. 

Professor  Morse's  success  was  complete.  He  predicted  that 
some  day  lines  of  telegraph  would  not  only  stretch  in  all  direc- 
tions over  the  land,  but  would  be  laid  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
between  Europe  and  America.  The  telegraph  accomplished  all 
that  he  prophesied  and  more,  for  in  time  it  not  only  crossed  the 
Atlantic  (1866)  (§  367),  but  the  Pacific  as  well  (1902)  (§  428). 

We  shall  see  (§  373)  that  more  than  thirty  years  later  (1876) 
the  telegraph  was  supplanted,  in  a  measure,  by  the  telephone. 

1  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  1791 ;  died  in  New  York, 
1872.  He  became  an  artist,  and,  in  1830,  Professor  of  the  Literature  of  the  Arts  of  Design 
in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  the  electric  telegraph 
in  1832.  Later,  his  associate,  Mr.  Alfred  Vail^of  New  Jersey,  rendered  very  important  serv- 
ices in  perfecting  the  work.    See  CenturyMagazine,  April,  1888. 

2  The  characters  over  the  printed  letters  represent  the  letters  of  the  telegraphic  alphabet. 
The  words  are  quoted  from  the  Bible  ;  Numbers  xxiii.  23. 


248      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1845 


Meanwhile  (1871),  at  a  celebration  held  in  New  York  in  honor 
of  Professor  Morse,  the  original  instrument  invented  by  him  was 
exhibited,  connected,  at  that  moment,  by  wire,  with  every  one 
of  the  ten  thousand  instruments  then  in  use  in  this  country.  At  a 
signal,  a  message  from  the  inventor  was  sent  vibrating  throughout 
the  United  States,  and  was  simultaneously  read  in  every  city  and  in 
most  towns  of  the  republic,  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans,  from 

New  Orleans  to  San  Francisco. 
Professor  Morse  died  the  next 
year  (1872).  A  little  more  than 
twenty  years  after  his  death  a  new 
form  of  telegraph  was  invented 
by  Marconi,  an  Italian.  It  sends 
its  messages  directly  through  the 
air  without  the  use  of  wires,  and 
so  is  called  the  "  Wireless  Tele- 
graph "  (§  428).  It  is  chiefly  em- 
ployed by  steamships  and  naval 
vessels,  to  communicate  with  each 
other  or  with  certain  stations  on 
land.  It  has  helped  to  save  many 
vessels  and  many  lives. 

Thought  had  conquered  space  ; 
it  was  to  make  its  next  conquest 
in  a  wholly  different  direction.  While  Professor  Morse  was  build- 
ing the  first  telegraph  line,  Dr.  W.  T.  G.  Morton  of  Boston,  acting 
on  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Charles  T.  Jackson,  was  endeavoring  to 
produce  artificial  sleep  by  the  breathing  of  the  vapor  of  ether.  He 
believed  that,  if  successful,  all  suffering  under  the  surgeon's  knife 
would  be  at  an  end.  He  did  succeed  ;  and  the  great  fact  was  made 
known  to  the  world  at  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  in  Bos- 
ton (1846).  As  the  inscription  on  Dr.  Morton's  monument  truth- 
fully declares  :  "  Before  that  discovery,  surgery  was  agony  ;  since, 
science  has  controlled  pain."  1 


Erecting  the  First  Telegraph 
Line 


1  Dr.  Horace  Wells,  of  Hartford,  began  to  make  use  (1844)  of  nitrous  oxide  gas  as  an 
anaesthetic  in  the  extraction  of  teeth.    Between  1820  and  1846  there  were  invented  in  this 


1845]  THE  .ANNEXATION  OF  TEXAS  249 

285.  Our  Third  Step  in  National  Expansion,  the  Annexation  of 
Texas.  The  great  political  question  of  the  times  was  the  admis- 
sion of  Texas.  Many  years  before  this  period  Stephen  F.  Austin, 
General  Sam  Houston,  and  other  Americans  had  settled  in  that 
country,  —  then  a  part  of  Mexico,  —  and  had  finally,  by  force  of 
arms,  made  it  an  independent  republic.  The  republic  of  Texas 
now  asked  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States.   (Map,  p.  334.) 

A  powerful  party  at  the  South  was  anxious  to  obtain  it  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  number  of  new  slave  states  out  of  it,  and 
thus  maintaining  their  influence  in  Congress.1  The  Anti-Slavery 
party  at  the  North  strongly  opposed  the  annexation ; 2  but  Con- 
gress, after  much  debate,  decided  to  make  it.  It  was  our  third 
step  in  expansion  (§§215,  238).  Thus  (March  1,  1845)  we  ob- 
tained a  territory  so  vast  that,  as  Daniel  Webster  said,  a  bird 
could  not  fly  over  it  in  a  week,  —  a  territory  large  enough  to  make 
nearly  five  countries  the  size  of  England,  or  more  than  that  num- 
ber of  states,  each  larger  than  New  York.  Texas,  however,  was 
not  admitted  to  the  Union  until  after  the  next  President  came 
into  office  (§287)  (December  29,  1845). 

286.  Summary.  The  principal  events  of  the  Harrison  and 
Tyler  administrations  were:  (1)  the  death  of  the  President;  fol- 
lowed (2)  by  the  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty ;  (3)  the  Dorr  Re- 
bellion ;  (4)  the  opening  of  the  first  line  of  electric  telegraph  in 
the  United  States  or  the  world;  (5)  the  use  of  ether  in  surgery; 
and  (6)  the  annexation  of  Texas. 

country  :  (i)  Blanchard's  Eccentric  Lathe  for  turning  gunstocks  and  other  irregular  forms  ; 

(2)  McCormick's  Reaper  and  Mower  and  Hussey's  Reaper  and  Mower;  (3)  Colt's  Revolver; 
(4)  Ericsson's  Screw  Propeller;  (5)  Goodyear's  Hard  Rubber  goods;  (6)  Hoe's  Steam 
Printing  Press;  (7)  Howe's  Sewing  Machine.  The  following  inventions  came  from  abroad: 
(1)  Knitting  Machines;  (2)  Planing  Machines  (greatly  improved  in  1828  by  Woodworth)  ; 

(3)  Friction  Matches,  1836  (gas  had  been  introduced  in  1822)  ;  (4)  the  Steam  Fire  Engine, 
1841,  but  not  brought  into  practical  use  until  much  later;  (5)  the  Daguerreotype  and  Pho- 
tograph, 1843;  (6)  the  Diving  Dress,  1843.  On  earlier  American  inventions,  see  §§  205, 
220,  252. 

1  By  the  Missouri  Compromise  (§  243)  slavery  could  not  be  extended  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, outside  of  Missouri,  north  of  360  30'  (the  southern  boundary  of  Missouri).  Unless, 
therefore,  the  South  got  more  territory  annexed  southwest  of  the  Mississippi,  the  North 
would  soon  have  the  chief  power  in  Congress. 

2  James  Russell  Lowell's  fine  poem,  "  The  Present  Crisis,"  expresses  the  feeling  of  the 
Anti-Slavery  party  at  this  time, 


V 


2$Q       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1845- 


James  K.  Polk  (Democrat) 


287.  Polk's  Administration  (Eleventh  President,  One  Term, 
1845- 1849);  Dispute  about  Oregon.  Congress  had  annexed  Texas 
(§  285),  and  when  Mr.  Polk1  entered  office  the  first  question  was, 
what  should  be  done  about  Oregon.  We  claimed  the  whole  country 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  of  California  (then  a  part  of 
Mexico),  to  Alaska;  that  is,  from  parallel  420  to  540  40'.  Our 
claim  rested  on:  (1)  Captain  Gray's  discovery  of  the  Columbia 
River  (1792)  (§  216);  (2)  Lewis  and  Clark's  exploration  (1805- 
1806)  (§216);  (3)  fur-trading  posts  begun  by  Astor  (18 11)  (§  216); 

(4)  our  treaty  with  Eng- 
land (1 8 1 8),  and  with 
Spain  (1819)  (§  238). 
(Map,  p.  194.)  Put 
England  disputed  our 
claim  to  the  country 
and  wanted  to  keep  it 
a  wilderness  in  order 
to  get  supplies  of  furs 
there. 

288.  American  Mis- 
sionaries go  to  Oregon. 
Meanwhile  American 
fur  traders  went  out 
to  Oregon,  and  Jason  Lee  went  as  missionary  to  the  Indians 
and  settled  (1834)  in  the  beautiful  Willamette  Valley.2  Next, 
Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  went  (1836)  to  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  to  do 
the  same  work.2  He  and  his  companion3  took  their  brides  with 
them  in  a  wagon.  They  were  the  first  emigrants  who  opened  up  a 
passage  on  wheels  to  the  Oregon  Country,  and  their  young  wives 
were  the  first  white  women  who  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 


Whitman's  Journey  to  Oregon 


1  James  K.  Polk  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  1795  ;  died,  1849.  ^e  emigrated  with  his 
father  to  Tennessee  in  1806,  and  was  elected  governor  of  that  state  in  1839.  In  1844  he  was 
elected  President  by  the  Democrats  (George  M.  Dallas  of  Pennsylvania,  Vice  President), 
over  Henry  Clay,  the  Whig  candidate. 

2  See  Map  of  Oregon,  opposite.    3  Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding  ;  he  settled  near  Lewiston,  Idaho. 


1845- 


HOW  WE  GOT  OREGON 


251 


make  homes  in  the  far  West.  Two  years  later,  quite  a  number  of 
missionaries,  with  their  families,  went  out  by  sea  to  help  Jason  Lee 
in  his  work.  They  were  followed  (1842)  by  more  than  a  hundred 
settlers  who  traveled  overland  to  take  up  farms. 

289.  Dr.  Whitman's  Journey  to  the  East;  our  Fourth  Step 
in  National  Expansion ;  how  we  got  Oregon ;  the  Treaty.  Later 
in  the  same  year  Dr.  Whitman  started  for  the  East  to  get  help  for 
his  mission.  He  also  hoped  to  get  some  families  to  go  out  there. 
The  distance  was  between  three  and  four  thousand  miles,  and  the 
doctor's  sufferings  on  the  way  were  severe.  He  had  to  face  winter 
storms  in  the  mountains,  the  ter- 
rors of  starvation  and  of  attacks 
by  Indians.  But  he  kept  on  and 
in  five  months  reached  Boston. 

In  1843  about  a  thousand 
"home  builders"  started  from 
Missouri  for  the  Willamette 
Valley.  Many  took  their  wives 
and  children  with  them,  also 
horses,  wagons,  and  cattle.  They 
meant  to  found  a  new  state  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  Dr.  Whitman 
joined  this  great  emigration,  acting  as  guide  part  of  the  time.  On 
the  arrival  of  the  emigrants  in  Oregon,1  Dr.  John  McLoughlin, 
agent  of  the  British  Fur  Company  and  founder  of  Oregon  City, 
gave  them  abundant  and  indispensable  help.  These  men,  with 
those  who  followed,  saved  the  larger  part  of  the  Oregon  Country. 
By  the  time  that  Polk  became  President  we  had  such  a  strong 
hold  on  it  that  the  cry  in  1846  was,  "The  British  must  go"  — 
<(  The  whole  of  Oregon,  or  none  "  —  "  Fifty-four  forty,  or  fight !  "  2 
But  later  in  the  same  year  (1846)  the  United   States  and  Great 

1  On  Oregon,  see  H.  H.  Bancroft's  "Oregon,"  I,  ch.  15;  Blaine's  "Congress,"  I,  55; 
Benton's  "Thirty  Years'  View,"  11,469;  E.  G.  Bourne's  "  Historical  Essays";  Lyman's 
"  Oregon  "  ;  F.  V.  Holman's  "  McLoughlin  "  ;  and  O'Hara's  "  Catholic  History  of  Oregon." 

2  In  other  words,  we  insisted  that  the  British  must  give  up  the  entire  country  below 
540  40',  or  fight.  Captain  Gray's  discovery  of  the  Columbia  River,  Lewis  and  Clark's  expedi- 
tion, our  settlements,  and  the  Spanish  treaty  of  18 19  gave  us  a  better  claim  than  the  English 
had  (§§216,  238). 


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252       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1846 

Britain  made  a  treaty  by  which  they  agreed  to  divide  the  country 
between  them.1  It  was  our  fourth  step  in  national  expansion 
(§§  215,  238,  285).  We  took  the  portion  between  the  boundary 
of  upper  Mexico  (now  California),  or  4 2°,  and  the  parallel  of  490 
north,  including  the  Columbia  River ;  the  English  took  the  re- 
mainder, from  490  to  Alaska.  (Map,  p.  251.)  Our  part  included 
what  are  now  the  states  of  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  and  parts 
of  Wyoming  and  Montana,  —  a  territory  covering  in  all  not  far 
from  300,000  square  miles.    (Map,  p.  334.) 

290.  The  Mexican  War;  Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma.  But  though  the  Oregon  Treaty  settled  the  fact  that  we 
should  not  fight  with  Great  Britain,  yet  we  were  soon  at  war  with 
our  next-door  neighbor,  the  feeble  republic  of  Mexico.  Texas  and 
Mexico  got  into  a  dispute  over  the  western  boundary  of  Texas 
(§  285).  Texas  stoutly  insisted  that  the  line  was  at  the  Rio  Grande 
River  ;  Mexico  denied  this,  and  vehemently  declared  that  it  was  on 
the  Nueces  River,  about  a  hundred  miles  east  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
(Map,  No.  I,  p.  253.) 

The  President  commanded  General  Taylor  to  seize  the  strip 
of  land  between  the  rivers.  To  quote  General  Grant's  words,  our 
troops  were  sent  there  "to  provoke  a  fight."2  Mexico  was  weak, 
but  not  cowardly.  The  Mexican  government  ordered  Taylor  to 
leave  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  he  held  Fort 
Brown.  He  refused,  and  the  Mexicans  crossed  the  river  (April  24, 
1846),  and  shed  the  first  blood.3  Soon  after,  General  Taylor  — 
or  "Old  Rough  and  Ready,"  as  his  men  called  him  —  gained  the 
victory  in  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto  (May  8,  1846);  and  the  next 
day  (May  9)  that  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  The  Mexicans  retreated 
across  the  Rio  Grande  ;  Taylor  followed  them  and  took  possession 
of  a  small  town  on  Mexican  soil. 

1  The  treaty  of  1846  extended  the  Webster-Ashburton  line  (§  283)  through  to  the  Pacific. 
The  boundary  is  marked  by  mounds,  heaps  of  stones,  posts,  and  cast-iron  pillars  ;  the  pillars 
are  placed  a  mile  apart.  2  See  "  Personal  Memoirs  of  U.  S.  Grant,"  I,  68. 

3  The  blood  was  shed  on  territory  claimed  by  Mexico  ;  but  the  President's  message  stated 
that  it  had  been  spilt  on  "  our  own  territory."  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  in  Congress,  demanded, 
in  a  series  of  resolutions,  known  as  the  "  Spot "  resolutions,  to  be  informed  where  the  exact 
"  spot "  of  this  bloodshed  was,  and  whether  it  had  not  been  provoked  by  a  body  of  armed 
Americans  sent  there  by  order  of  our  government. 


1846] 


THE  MEXICAN  WAR 


253 


291.  Congress  declares  War;  Battles  of  Monterey  and  Buena 
Vista;  Conquest  of  California  and  New  Mexico.  Congress  now 
(May  13,  1846)  declared  war  against  Mexico,  and  thousands  of 


No.  I,  The  Mexican  War;  No.  II,  Scott's  March  to  the 
City  of  Mexico 

volunteers,   mainly   from   the   southern   and   southwestern   states, 
enlisted  to  fight  against  her. 

In  the  autumn  (September  24,  1846)  General  Taylor  attacked 
the  Mexicans  at  Monterey,  and  took  the  town  after  a  desperate 
battle  of  four  days.1    Early  the  next  year,  Santa  Anna,  the  Mexican 

1  Read  Hoffman's  poem  of  "  Monterey"  in  "Heroic  Ballads"  (Ginnand  Company). 


[CAN 


254       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1847 

president  and  commander  in  chief,  led  a  force  of  20,000  men 
against  Taylor,  who  had  only  about  a  fourth  of  that  number.  The 
battle  was  fought  at  Buena  Vista,  in  the  mountains  (1847).  We 
had  the  advantage  of  position,  and  after  an  all  day's  fight  the 
Mexicans  retreated.    (Map,  p.  253.) 

This  victory  gave  us  possession  of  northeastern  Mexico.  General 
Taylor  returned  home  in  November  (1847)  and  the  fame  of  this 
battle  made  him  President  of  the  United  States  two  years  later. 
Meanwhile  (1846),  an  American  fleet  with  the  help  of  Colonel 
Fremont  had  conquered  California ;  and  General  Kearney  had 
seized  Santa  Fe,  and  with  it  the  territory  now  called  New  Mexico. 

292.  General  Scott  sent  to  Mexico;  he  takes  Vera  Cruz;  Vic- 
tory of  Cerro  Gordo.  General  Winfield  Scott  (§231)  had  now 
been  ordered  to  Mexico  with  a  second  army.  His  plan  was  to  land 
at  Vera  Cruz  (Map,  p.  253),  and  march  directly  on  the  city  of 
Mexico,  200  miles  distant.  After  nine  days'  fighting  he  took 
Vera  Cruz  and  the  strong  fortress  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua,  which 
defended  it  by  sea  (spring  of  1847).  General  Scott  said  that  this 
important  victory  was  due  in  great  measure  to  the  remarkable  en- 
gineering skill  of  Captain  Robert  E.  Lee  of  Virginia,  who  eighteen 
years  later  became  commander  in  chief  of  all  the  Confederate  armies 
in  the  Civil  War.  Then  pushing  forward,  Scott  fought  a  battle 
at  the  mountain  pass  of  Cerro  Gordo,  driving  the  Mexicans  be- 
fore him.  Late  in  the  summer  (1847)  he  crossed  the  last  ridge 
of  mountains,  and  saw  the  spires  and  towers  of  the  capital  of 
Mexico  glittering  in  the  sun.  The  city  is  situated  in  a  valley.  It 
was  surrounded  with  fortifications,  and  could  only  be  reached 
by  a  few  narrow  roads  of  stone  built  across  the  marshes.  Scott 
had  about  11,000  men  to  attack  an  army  which  numbered  more 
than  three  to  his  one,  while  the  city  itself  had  a  population  of 
nearly  200,000. 

293.  Victories  in  the  Vicinity  of  the  City  of  Mexico;  the  City 
taken.  With  heavy  loss  to  ourselves  as  well  as  to  the  enemy,  we 
fought  and  won  in  a  single  day  (1847)  a  succession  of  battles  1  near 
the  city,  —  every  one  ending  in  victory  to  our  arms.    A  few  weeks 

1  These  were  the  battles  of  Contreras,  San  Antonio,  and  Churubusco. 


1847-1848]        CESSIONS  OF  MEXICAN  TERRITORY  255 

later  we  attacked  and  carried  the  fortified  mill  of  Molino  del  Rey ; 
five  days  later  we  took  the  castle  of  Chapultepec. 

The  next  morning  (September  14,  1847)  Scott's  little  army, 
now  numbering  only  6000  men,  entered  the  city  of  Mexico  and 
hoisted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  over  the  ancient  palace,  or  so-called 
"Halls  of  the  Montezumas." 1  In  the  conquering  army  there  was 
a  young  lieutenant  from  Ohio,  whom  we  shall  meet  again  —  his 
name  was  Ulysses  S.  Grant.2 

The  fall  of  the  city  of  Mexico  practically  ended  the  war,  which  had 
lasted  less  than  two  years.  With  the  exception  of  our  recent  contest 
with  Spain  (1898),  it  was  the  only  war  recorded  in  American  history 
in  which  all  the  victories  were  on  one  side ;  for  our  troops  gained 
every  battle,  and  gained  it  in  every  instance  against  a  larger  force. 

294.  Our  Fifth  Step  in  National  Expansion ;  Cessions  of  Mexi- 
can Territory;  Other  Results  of  the  War.  By  a  treaty  of  peace 
^,1(1848)  we  obtained  the  territory  of  California  and  New  Mexico, 
n-v^vwith  undisputed  possession  of  Texas  —  or  in  all,  nearly  a  mil- 
lion of  square  miles.3  (Map,  p.  334.)  It  was  our  fifth  step  in 
national  expansion  (§289). 

A  few  years  later  (1853)  we  bought  from  Mexico  a  strip  of 
land  now  included  in  southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and 
known  as  the  "  Gadsden  Purchase."  (Map,  p.  334.)  The  Mexican 
War  educated  many  of  the  American  officers  who  fought  in  it,  or 
were  connected  with  it  (such  men  as  Grant,  Lee,  Sherman,  and 
"  Stonewall  "  Jackson),  for  the  battlefields  of  the  Civil  War. 

1  The  M0nt.e7.umag  fmon-te-zu'mas'l  were  the  rulers  of  Mexico  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish 
conquestTy^orfez^see  §  19).  The  palace, which  we  called  the  "Halls  of  the  Montezumas," 
was  built  by  the  Spanish  successors  of  Cortez. 

2  General  Grant  says,  in  his  "  Personal  Memoirs,"  I,  53,  that  he  considered  the  Mexican 
War  "  one  of  the  most  unjust  ever  waged  by  a  stronger  against  a  weaker  nation."  The  feel- 
ing against  the  war  in  New  England  found  witty  and  able  expression  in  Lowell's  famous 
poems  of  the  w  Biglow  Papers"  (First  Series). 

3  We,  however,  paid  Mexico  $15,000,000  for  the  territory,  besides  assuming  certain 
debts  of  hers,  amounting  to  about  $3,000,000  more.  We  had  previously  assumed  the  debt 
of  Texas,  of  $7,500,000 ;  so  that  the  whole  cost  of  the  entire  territory,  exclusive  of  the  ex- 
pense of  the  war,  was  $25,500,000.  This  was  thought  to  be  an  enormous  outlay,  and,  as  it 
had  been  incurred  through  the  annexation  of  Texas,  many  people  grumbled,  and  said  that 
"  Texas "  was  simply  "  Taxes,"  with  the  letters  differently  arranged.  To-day  the  assessed 
valuation  of  Texas  alone  is  much  more  than  forty  times  greater  than  the  cost  of  the 
whole  Mexican  land  cession. 


256       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1848 


295.  Discovery  of  Gold  in  California,  1848.   At  the  close  of  the 
Mexican  War  Colonel  Mason  was  left  in  charge  of  California  as 

military  governor,  and  William 
T.  Sherman  —  later  General 
Sherman  —  acted  as  one  of  his  A 
chief  officers.  In  the  sprm"g~of  " 
1848  two  men  called  on  the 
Governor,  at  Monterey,  south  of 
San  Francisco.  Presently  Colo- 
nel Mason  called  to  Sherman 
to  come  into  his  office.  On  the 
table  were  several  little  papers 
containing  small  bits  of  yellow- 
ish metal.  "What  is  that?" 
said  the  Governor  to  Sherman. 
"  I  touched  it,"  adds  the  Gen- 
eral, "  examined  one  or  two  of 
the  large  pieces,  and  asked,  '  Is 
\tgold?'"1   It zvas gold.    Some 


Discovery  of  Gold 


men  had  found  it  in  digging  a  mill  race  for  a  sawmill  for  Captain 
Sutter,  near  Coloma,  on  a  fork  of  the  American  River  about  a  hundred 
miles  northeast  of  San  Francisco. 
u^,  San  Francisco  was  then  a  little  vil- 
lage of  about  400  inhabitants.  When 
the  news  of  the  "  great  find "  was 
spread  abroad,  nearly  every  person 
started  for  the  mines.  Houses  were  left 
half  built ;  fields,  half  plowed.  Every 
man  who  could  possibly  get  away 
bought  a  shovel  and  hurried  off  to  dig 
his  fortune  out  of  the  golden  sands. 

296.  Emigration  to  California;  the  "Vigilance  Committee "; 
Results  of  the  Discovery  of  Gold.  The  next  spring  (1849)  the 
''gold  fever"   reached  the  eastern   states,  and  a  great  rush  of 


1  "  Memoirs  of  General  W.  T.  Sherman,"  I,  40,    Gold  was  first  discovered  January  24, 
1848  ;   see  Bancroft's  "  California." 


1849]  RESULTS  OF  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  257 

emigration,  by  both  land  and  sea,  began  for  California.  Many  died 
of  sickness  contracted  in  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama ;  multi- 
tudes more  perished  on  the  overland  route  across  the  continent. 
From  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Sierras  the  track  of  the  emi- 
grants was  marked  by  the  skeletons  of  horses  and  oxen,  and  by 
barrels,  boxes,  and  household  goods  thrown  away  along  the  road. 
But  notwithstanding  the  loss  of  life,  and  the  fact  that  many  turned 
back,  discouraged  at  the  hardships  of  the  undertaking,  still  over 
80,000  men  succeeded  in  reaching  California  before  the  end  of 
that  year. 

From  an  insignificant  settlement  San  Francisco  suddenly  sprang 
into  a  city  of  20,000  inhabitants.  To-day  it  has  a  population  of 
over  400,000.  But  the  great  majority  of  the  emigrants  hurried 
off  to  the  gold  diggings,  where,  with  pan  and  shovel,1  they  were 
speedily  engaged  in  collecting  the  shining  particles  of  that  precious 
metal  which  most  men  find  it  so  hard  to  get,  and  also  so  hard  to 
hold.  In  the  course  of  the  next  seven  years  (1849-18 56)  gold 
valued  at  over  $400,000,000  was  obtained.  The  labor  of  getting 
it  was  worth  three  times  more  than  the  gold  itself.2  A  few  gained 
the  riches  they  so  eagerly  sought,  but  the  greater  part  barely  made 
a  living  by  *the  most  exhausting  toil. 

Eagerness  for  wealth  naturally  brought  bad  men  as  well  as 
good  to  this  land  of  promise.  At  times  these  reckless  adven- 
turers made  serious  trouble.  The  stern  *  hand  of  a  Vigilance 
Committee,  organized  by  a  majority  of  the  best  citizens  of  San 
Francisco,  speedily  taught  desperadoes  and  thieves  that  life  and 
property  must  be  respected. 

In  the  end  the  discovery  of  gold  had  many  good  results.3 

1 .  It  gave  us  firm  possession  of  the  Pacific  coast,  since  it  rapidly 
settled  the  wilderness  of  California  with  a  population  of  energetic 
and  determined  men. 

1  At  first,  much  of  the  gold  was  taken  from  the  beds  of  small  streams  and  their  vicinity. 
It  was  done  by  sifting  out  the  sand,  or  washing  the  earth,  in  pans  or  otherwise.  When  the 
surface  mining  gave  out,  men  began  to  cut  down  the  hills  by  directing  powerful  streams 
of  water  against  them,  and  then  washing  the  gravel  and  dirt  for  gold.  Most  of  the  gold 
now  obtained  in  California  is  from  quartz  rock,  which  is  broken  to  pieces  by  stamp 
ing  mills. 

2  Bancroft's  "  Pacific  States,"  Vol.  XVIIL  8  But  compare  §  312. 


# 


258      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1849 

2.  By  increasing  the  amount  of  gold  in  circulation  it  stimu- 
lated trade,  industry,  and  commerce  not  only  throughout  the 
United  States  but  throughout  the  civilized  world.  New  lines  of 
steamships  were  started,  new  lines  of  railways  built,  new  markets 
opened  for  goods  and  produce,  new  mills  and  factories  established. 

3.  When  the  precious  metal  in  the  sands  began  to  give  out, 
men  found  the  real,  inexhaustible  wealth  of  the  country  in  its 
fields  of  grain,  its  vineyards,  its  orange  plantations,  its  sheep 
and  cattle  farms.  These  make  California  a  true  land  of  gold,  and 
of  gold  which  is  forever  growing. 

297.  Summary.  James  K.  Polk's  presidency  opened  with  our 
getting  possession  of  Oregon.  The  Mexican  War  followed,  re- 
sulting in  our  obtaining  California  and  New  Mexico ;  the  latter 
then  included  Nevada,  Utah,  with  parts  of  Colorado  and  Wyo- 
ming. (Map,  p.  334.)  The  period  closed  with  the  discovery  of 
gold,  and  with  an  immense  emigration  to  California. 


Zachary  Taylor  (Whig);  Millard  Fillmore  (Whig) 

298.  Taylor  and  Fillmore's  Administrations  (Twelfth  and  Thir- 
teenth Presidents,  One  Term,  1849- 1853) ;  the  Question  of  the 
Extension  of  Slavery.  When  General  Taylor1  became  President 
the  North  and  the  South  were  already  engaged  in  fierce  dispute 
in  regard  to  the  territory  gained  through  the  Mexican  War. 
Florida  had  been  admitted  (1845)  as  a  slave  state,  and  Texas 
followed  (1845).  It  was  the  last  slave  state  that  entered  the 
Union  ;  next,  Congress  was  called  on  to  determine  whether  Cali- 
fornia and  New  Mexico  should  be  permitted  to  hold  slaves. 

This  question  of  the  spread  of  slavery  had  now  come  to  be  of 
greater  importance  and  of  greater  danger  to  the  country  than  any 

1  General  Taylor  was  born  in  Virginia,  1784.  A  few  years  later  his  father  removed  with 
his  family  to  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Taylor  entered  the  regular  army  in  1808.  In  1840  he 
bought  a  plantation,  and  settled  at  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana.  His  career  in  Mexico  has 
already  been  traced.  He  was  elected  President  by  the  Whigs,  over  Lewis  Cass,  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate,  and  Martin  Van  Buren,  the  Free-Soil  candidate.  President  Taylor  died 
July  9,  1850,  and  was  succeeded  by  Vice  President  Millard  Fillmore.  General  Taylor  owned 
a  large  number  of  slaves ;  but  in  political  action  he  belonged  to  no  party  and  did  not  favor 
the  extension  of  slavery  to  new  territory.    He  was  a  brave,  true,  and  conscientious  man. 


1850]  THE  DANGER  OF  DISUNION  259 

other.  It  acted  like  a  wedge,  gradually  forcing  the  North  and 
the  South  farther  and  farther  apart.  At  the  North  the  laborer 
was  free ;  whatever  he  earned  was  his  own.  At  the  South  he 
was  not  free ;  what  he  earned  was  his  master's.  The  North 
with  free  labor  had  steadily  increased  in  population  and  wealth ; 
the  South  with  slave  labor  had  made  but  little  real  progress. 
Most  people  at  the  North  now  considered  slavery  a  positive  evil ; 
but  a  strong  party  at  the  South,  led  by  Calhoun,  held  that  it  was 
a  positive  good. 

This  difference  in  belief  led  to  the  struggle  about  the  new 
territory.  The  South  felt  that  it  was  only  by  getting  new  slave 
states  —  thereby  increasing  the  number  of  its  senators  and  repre- 
sentatives—  that  it  could  maintain  its  power  in  Congress.  The 
Southern  leaders  believed  that  if  they  lost  that  power  their  system 
of  slave  labor  would  be  destroyed,  their  negroes  would  be  set  free 
and  would  get  the  control  of  that  part  of  the  country. 
ri  HJG-  299.  The  " Wilmot Provf so ' ' :  Dispute  about  Slavery;  the  Dan- 
ger of  Disunion ;  the  Compromise  of  1850 ;  the  Fugitive-Slave 
Law.  Before  the  Mexican  War  had  come  to  an  end,  David  Wil- 
mot, a  Pennsylvania  Democrat,  startled  the  country  by  proposing 
the  passage  of  a  law  called  the  "Wilmot  Proviso."  It  declared 
that  slavery  should  never  be  permitted  to  exist  in  any  part  of 
the  territory  which  we  might  obtain  from  Mexico.  The  "  Wilmot 
Proviso  "  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  by  a  large  majority, 
but  it  did  not  pass  the  Senate.  The  discussion  of  this  measure 
roused  angry  passions  in  both  the  North  and  the  South. 

After  the  Mexican  War  was  over  the  dispute  about  opening  to 
slavery  the  new  territory  we  had  acquired  (§  294)  grew  hotter  and 
hotter.    Three  methods  of  settlement  were  proposed. 

1.  The  extreme  Southern  men  said,  "Every  citizen  of  the 
United  States  has  the  right  to  go  to  any  part  of  the  country  he 
pleases,  and  take  his  property,  including  his  negroes,  with  him. 
Give  us,  said  they,  that  right,  and  we  ask  no  more." 

2.  But  the  advocates  of  the  "  Wilmot  Proviso  "  and  other  Free- 
Soil  men  answered :  "  We  will  have  no  more  slave  states.  All 
territory  must  come  in  free." 


260       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1850 

3.  Finally,  a  third  class  said  :  Congress  has  no  right  to  meddle 
in  this  matter,  one  way  or  the  other.  What  we  want  is  "  Popular 
Sovereignty  "  — that  is,  let  the  people  of  the  territories  decide  for 
themselves  between  freedom  and  slavery. 

None  of  these  methods  satisfied  both  sections  of  the  country, 
but  unless  some  agreement  could  be  reached  the  Union  might  be 
broken  up.  In  that  case  we  should  split  into  a  Northern  and  a 
Southern  Republic.  At  this  time  of  peril  Henry  Clay,  "the 
peacemaker,"  came  forward  in  Congress,  in  1850,  with  this  com- 
promise, or  plan  of  settlement  (§§  243,  269). 

1 .  Let  California  come  in  as  a  free  state ;  at  the  same  time 
let  the  slave  trade  (though  not  slavery  itself)  be  abolished  in  the 
District  of  Columbia  (§  264). 

2.  In  all  the  rest  of  the  territory  obtained  from  Mexico  let  us 
have  "  Popular  Sovereignty" —  in  other  words,  let  the  people  deter- 
mine for  themselves  whether  they  will  have  free  labor  or  slave  labor. 

3.  Let  us  have  a  new  Fugitive- Slave  Law  (page  174,  note)  which 
shall  arrest  all  runaway  slaves  found  at  the  North,  and,  without 
trial  by  jury,  return  them  to  their  masters. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Clay's  first  proposition  was  calculated  to 
please  the  Anti-Slavery  party  in  the  North  and  get  their  votes  in 
Congress.  His  second  proposition  was  arranged  so  that  it  would 
please  the  advocates  of  "  Popular  Sovereignty  "  in  the  territories, 
while  his  third  proposition  would  be  sure  to  gratify  the  slaveholders 
in  the  South,  and  so  secure  their  votes.  In  this  way  all  parties  J 
would  find  something  in  Clay's  Compromise  measures  which  they  ^ 
would  like.  ^ 

Daniel  Webster  (§  268)  employed  his  eloquence  to  get  Congress 
to  vote  for  these  compromise  measures,  including  the  new  Fugitive-  ^ 
Slave  Law;1  for  he  believed  that  if  it  was  rejected,  the  Union    )*> 
would  be  destroyed.    Many  people  at  the  North  denounced  him,  <N 
as  John  Quincy  Adams  once  did,  as  "  a  heartless  traitor  to  the  cause 
of  human  freedom";  but  Horace  Greeley,  a  strong  Abolitionist,    • 

1  Mr.  Webster,  however,  wished  to  have  this  law  modified  so  as  to  secure  trial  by  jury  to 
negroes  arrested  as  fugitives,  in  case  they  denied  that  they  were  runaway  slaves.  His  efforts 
to  secure  this  change  were  unsuccessful,  for  the  South  insisted  that  no  Northern  jury  would 
ever  return  a  negro.   See  Curtis'  "  Life  of  Webster,"  II,  422,  423. 


1850-]  "UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD"  261 

declared  that  the  great  majority,  both  North  and  South,  agreed 
with  Mr.  Webster.1 

300.  Passage  of  the  Fugitive-Slave  Law;  its  Results;  the 
"  Higher  Law";  the  "  Underground  Railroad."  During  the  de- 
bate on  the  Fugitive-Slave  Law  President  Taylor  died,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Vice  President  Fillmore.  The  law,  with  the  other 
compromise  measures,  passed  in  the  autumn  of  1850,  California 
was  admitted  as  a  free  state,  and  it  was  hoped  that  peace  was 
secured.  But  it  was  a  peace,  like  a  smoldering  fire,  ready  to  burst 
into  flame  at  any  moment.    (Map,  p.  270.) 

As  soon  as  the  slave  owners  of  the  South  attempted  to  enforce 
the  new  law  and  arrest  their  runaway  negroes  at  the  North,  trouble 
began.  Many  men  who  had  never  disobeyed  an  act  of  Congress 
refused  to  send  back  the  South 's  fugitive  slaves.  They  said,  with 
Senator  Seward,  "  On  this  point  we  feel  that  there  is  a  '  Higher 
Law "  than  that  of  Congress,  —  a  divine  law  of  justice  and  free- 
dom,—  which  forbids  us  to  give  the  help  demanded." 

This  new  spirit  of  resistance  showed  itself  not  only  in  words 
but  in  actions.  In  Boston  a  fugitive  named  Shadrach  was  taken 
from  the  officers  and  carried  off  to  a  place  of  safety ;  and  in  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  one  named  Jerry  received  his  liberty  in  the  same 
way.  Several  Northern  states  now  passed  laws  to  protect  negroes 
and  prevent  their  being  sent  back  to  slavery.  Many  persons,  out 
of  pity  for  the  escaped  slaves,  banded  themselves  together  to  help 
them  privately  to  get  to  Canada.  This  method  got  the  name  of 
the  "  Underground  Railroad  "  ;  and  hundreds,  if  not  thousands, 
of  trembling  fugitives  owed  their  liberty  to  the  quickness  and 
secrecy  of  this  peculiar  system  of  travel. 

301.  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin";  Charles  Sumner  and  Jefferson 
Davis.  This  feeling  of  opposition  was  suddenly  intensified  through- 
out the  North  by  the  publication  (1852)  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  It  was  a  remarkable  book  —  one  written  from  the 
heart  to  the  heart.    It  meant  to  be  truthful,  to  be  fair,  to  be  kind. 

Mrs.  Stowe's  object  was  to  show  what  the  life  of  the  slave  really 
was,  —  to  show  its  bright  and  happy  side,  as  well  as  its  dark  and 

1  See  Horace  Greeley's  "American  Conflict,"  I,  220,  221. 


262       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [mwh 

cruel  side.  People  who  took  up  the  book  could  not  lay  it  down 
until  they  had  finished  it.  They  laughed  and  cried,  and  laughed 
again,  over  "  Topsy,"  "  Eva,"  and  "  Uncle  Tom  "  ;  but  they  ended 
with  tears  in  their  eyes.  No  arguments,  no  denials,  could  shake  the 
influence  of  the  story.  In  a  single  year  two  hundred  thousand 
copies  were  sold  in  this  country,  and  in  a  short  time  the  total  sales 
here  had  reached  half  a  million  copies. 

From  this  time  onward  a  silent  revolution  was  going  on.  The 
forces  for  slavery  and  those  against  it  were  girding  themselves  up 
for  the  terrible  struggle.  The  great  leaders  of  the  nation  on  both 
sides  —  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun  —  had  recently  died.  New  men 
were  taking  their  places  in  Congress,  —  Charles  Sumnejjrepresent- 
ing  the  North,  Jefferson  Davis,  the  SoutnTTiTthe  battles  which 
these  two  men  fought  in  words  we  have  the  beginning  of  that  con- 
test which  was  soon  to  end  in  civil  war.  Both  felt  that  the  time 
was  very  soon  coming  when  the  republic  must  stand  wholly  free 
or  wholly  on  the  side  of  slavery. 

302.  Summary.  The  four  chief  events  of  the  Taylor  and  Fill- 
more administrations  were:  (1)  the  debate  on  the  extension  of 
slavery  in  the  new  territory  gained  by  the  Mexican  War ;  (2)  the 
Compromise  Measures  of  1850,  including  the  Fugitive- Slave  Law  ; 
(3)  the  publication  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  ;  and  (4)  the  begin- 
ning of  the  great  final  struggle  in  Congress  between  the  North  and 
the  South.  Ny 

Franklin  Pierce  (Democrat) 

303.  Pierce's  Administration  (Fourteenth  President,  One  Term, 
1853-1857);  the  "World's  Fair"  at  New  York  City;  American 
Labor-Saving  Machines.  The  inauguration  of  President  Pierce1 
occurred  at  a  time  when  a  majority  of  the  people  were  tired  of 
hearing  about  slavery.   It  was  a  period  of  great  business  prosperity ; 

1  Franklin  Pierce  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1804  ;  died,  1869.  He  was  in  Congress 
from  1837-1842,  and  was  a  brigadier  general  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  was  elected  President 
(William  R.  King  of  Alabama,  Vice  President)  by  the  Democrats,  over  General  Scott,  the 
Whig  candidate.  The  Whig  party  had  practically  ceased  to  exist  before  the  next  presidential 
election,  in  1856.  The  Free  Soilers  humorously  declared  that  it  died  "  of  an  attempt  to 
swallow  the  Fugitive-Slave  Law"  (which  the  Whig  National  Convention  had  accepted  in 
1852).    In  1852  a  new  political  party  called  the  American  Party,  or  "  Know  Nothings,"  came 


1853] 


AMERICAN  LABOR-SAVING  MACHINES 


263 


almost  everybody  seemed  to  be  making  money,  and  some  news- 
papers called  it  the  "golden  age."  In  the  summer  (1853)  the 
first  American  "World's  Fair"  was  opened  in  New  York  City, 
in  the  "  Crystal  Palace." 

The  exhibition  proved  that  no  country  in  the  world  could  equal 
our  own  in  labor-saving  machines.    Four  of  the  most  remarkable 


A  Twentieth-Century  Electric  Newspaper  Printing  Press 
(With  cut  of  Franklin's  press  for  comparison) 

of  these  were  the  newly  invented  sewing  machines  which  were 
then  beginning  to  come  into  general  use ;  next,  the  horse  reapers 
and  mowers,  and  finally  an  improved  steam  printing  press,  which 
could  send  out  a  continuous  stream  of  four-page  newspapers  at  the 
rate  of  over  200  a  minute.    That  was  thought  extraordinary  speed 

into  existence.  They  had  a  secret  organization,  and  their  object  was  to  exclude  all  but  native 
American  citizens  from  office,  to  check  the  power  of  Catholicism,  and  to  oppose  the  admis- 
sion of  foreigners  to  citizenship  except  after  very  long  residence  here.  Their  motto  was, 
"  Americans  must  rule  America."  The  "  Know  Nothings  "  became  a  national  party,  exerted 
considerable  influence  for  a  few  years,  and  then  died  out ' 


264       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1858 

then,  but  now  we  have  presses,  driven  by  electricity,  which  can 
print  1600  sixteen-page  sheets  a  minute,  or  nearly  100,000  an 
hour.    This  makes  a  roll  of  paper  seventy  miles  long. 

The  horse  reapers  and  mowers  for  cutting  grain  and  grass 
(1845)  showed  the  immense  advance  we  had  made  over  the  slow 
work  formerly  done  by  hand  with  sickle  and  scythe.  The  French 
Academy  of  Sciences  declared  that  the  American  inventor  of  the 
horse  reaper  had  "  done  more  for  the  cause  of  agriculture  than 
any  man  living."  The  effect  on  the  settlement  of  the  West  was 
wonderful,  for  by  using  these  machines  the  farmer  could  do  as 
much  work  in  a  few  hours  as  he  had  been  able  to  do  before  in  a 
whole  week.1  But  these  machines  have  since  been  superseded,  on 
some  of  the  immense  farms  at  the  West,  by  "harvesters,"  which 
'"%     t  -,^f^\r  :->_    cut  the  grain,  thrash  it,  clean  it, 

{^z~lzr:~  _  and  put  it  up  in  bags  in  the  field. 
These  "harvesters"  sometimes  re- 
quire more  than  thirty  horses  to 
draw  them,  or  they  are  propelled 
by  steam  (§  371). 

304.  Commodore  M.  C.  Perry 
Two-Horse  Reapers  at  Work       opens   the    ports    of   Japan.     Not 

long  after  the  close  of  the  Crystal  Palace  Exhibition,  Commodore 
M.  C.  Perry,  brother  of  the  late  Commodore  O.  H.  Perry  of  Lake 
Erie  fame  "(§  229),  sailed  into  one  of  the  ports  of  Japan  with  the 
first  fleet  of  steamers  that  had  ever  entered  a  harbor  of  that  island. 
For  over  two  centuries  that  country  had  been  almost  practically 
closed  to  the  entire  world.  Through  Perry's  influence  the  govern- 
ment of  Japan  made  a  treaty  with  the  United  States  admitting  our 
ships  to  trade.    We  made  the  Emperor  presents  of  a  locomotive 

1  Obed  Hussey  patented  his  horse  reaper  in  1834  and  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  patented 
his  machine  a  few  months  later.  Eventually  these  remarkable  farming  implements  were 
improved  so  that  they  not  only  cut  the  grain  in  the  field,  but  bound  it  up  in  sheaves.  Speak- 
ing of  one  of  these  machines,  William  II.  Seward,  then  in  the  United  States  Senate,  said, 
in  1859,  that  it  had  pushed  the  line  of  civilization  [in  the  United  States]  westward  thirty 
miles  each  year.  And  Professor  Alexander  Johnston  says  that  the  results  of  the  horse  reaper 
"  have  been  hardly  less  than  that  of  the  locomotive  in  their  importance  to  the  United  States. 
...  It  was  agricultural  machinery  that  made  Western  farms  profitable,  and  enabled  the  rail- 
ways to  fill  the  West  so  rapidly."  See  also  Coman's  "  Industrial  History  of  the  United 
States,"  p.  244. 


1853-1854]        THE  KANSAS-NEBRASKA  ACT,  1854 


265 


with  a  train  of  cars,  and  a  line  of  telegraph,  —  the  first  ever  seen 
in  that  country,  which  has  since  adopted,  through  our  influence, 
both  steam  and  electricity.  Later  (1901),  the  Japanese  erected  a 
monument  commemorating  Commodore  Perry's  work.  It  stands 
in  Perry  Park,  Kurihama,  Japan,  at  which  port  the  American 
officer  first  landed. 

305.  The  Kansas-Nebraska  Act,  1854;  Rise  of  the  Modern  Re- 
publican Party,  1856.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Missouri 
Compromise  of  1820  shut  out  slavery  from  the  territory  west  and 
north  of  Missouri  (§243).  At  the  time  the  Compromise  was  made 
it  was  solemnly  declared  that  it  would  stand  "  forever."  But  the 
end  of  that  "  forever  "  was  now  reached.    The  South  demanded 


m  i&,S 


Perry  landing  in  Japan 

the  right  to  carry  slavery  into  the  region  of  Nebraska  beyond  Mis- 
souri. In  1854  Senator  Stephen  A.  Douglas  of  Illinois- — the 
"  Little  Giant,"  as  his  friends  called  him1  —  proposed  a  law  en- 
titled the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  That  bill  cut  what  was  then  the 
territory  of  Nebraska  into  two  parts,  of  which  the  southern  portion 
was  called  Kansas ;  and  it  left  the  settlers  of  these  two  territories 
to  decide  whether  they  would  have  slave  labor  or  not.2   Congress 

1  Senator  Douglas  was  short  in  stature  and  stoutly  built.  His  great  intellectual  ability 
and  marked  decision  of  character  got  for  him  the  name  of  the  "  Little  Giant."  He  died  in 
1861,  shortly  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  His  dying  message  to  his  sons  was  his 
entreaty  that  they  should  stand  by  the  Union  and  the  Constitution. 

2  Senator  Douglas  claimed  that  in  giving  the  people  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  the  power 
of  choosing  whether  they  would  have  slave  labor  or  not,  he  was  simply  extending  that  part 
of  Clay's  Compromise  measure  of  1850  (§  299)  which  gave  the  same  privilege  to  the  people 
of  the  territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Utah, 


266       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1854-I85e 

passed  the  bill,  and  thus  repealed  or  set  aside  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise or  agreement  made  in  1820  (§  243).  The  North  was 
indignant  at  the  new  law.  Senator  Douglas  was  hooted  in  the 
streets.  Mass  meetings  were  held  to  denounce  him,  and  so  many 
images  of  him  were  made  and  burned  that  Mr.  Douglas  him- 
self said  that  he  traveled  from  Washington  to  Chicago  by  the 
light  of  his  own  blazing  effigies. 

*  One  of  the  most  important  results  of  the  controversy  over  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  was  that  it  led  to  the  formation  in  1856  of 
a  new  political  party.  Those  who  opposed  the  repeal  of  the  Mis- 
souri Compromise  and  the  extension  of  slavery  in  the  West  now 
united  and  took  the  name  of  Republicans  (§  203). 

306.  The  Struggle  for  the  Possession  of  Kansas;  Emigrants 
from  Missouri  and  from  New  England.  A  desperate  struggle 
(1854)  began  between  the  North  and  the  South  for  the  possession 
of  Kansas.1  Bands  of  slaveholders  armed  with  rifles  crossed  the 
Missouri  River  and  seized  lands  in  the  new  territory.  They  settled 
a  town  which  they  named  Atchison  in  honor  of  Senator  Atchison 
of  Missouri. 

Next,  the  New  England  Aid  Society  of  Boston  sent  out  a  body 
of  armed  emigrants,  singing, 

"  We  cross  the  prairies,  as  of  old 
The  Pilgrims  crossed  the  sea, 
To  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 
The  Homestead  of  the  free."2 

They  settled  about  forty  miles  to  the  southwest  of  Atchison.  They 
called  their  little  cluster  of  tents  and  log  cabins  Lawrence,  because 
Amos  A.  Lawrence  was  treasurer  of  the  society,  which  was  estab- 
lished to  aid  Northern  men  to  build  homes  in  Kansas,  and  to 
make  the  territory  a  free  state. 

307.  The  Rival  Governments  of  Kansas ;  Civil  War  in  the  Ter- 
ritory. The  rival  bands  of  settlers  soon  set  up  governments  to 
suit  themselves.    The  "  Free-state  men  "  made  their  headquarters 

1  In  speaking  of  this  coming  struggle,  Honorable  William  H.  Seward  of  New  York  said, 
in  the  United  States  Senate,  1854:  "Come  on,  then,  gentlemen  of  the  slave  states;  since 
there  is  no  escaping  your  challenge,  I  accept  it  on  behalf  of  Freedom.  We  will  engage  in 
competition  for  the  virgin  soil  of  Kansas,  and  God  give  the  victory  to  the  side  that  is  stronger 
in  numbers  as  it  is  in  right."  2  See  Whittier's  "  The  Song  of  the  Kansas  Emigrant." 


1856-] 


CIVIL  WAR  IN  KANSAS 


267 


at  Topeka  and  Lawrence ;  the  "  Slave-state  men "  made  theirs 
at  Leavenworth  and  Lecompton. 

During  the  next  five  years  (1 854-1 859)  the  territory  was  torn 
by  civil  war,  and  fairly  earned  the  title  of  "  Bleeding  Kan- 
sas." The  "  Free-state  men  "  denounced  the  opposite  party  as 
"  Border  Ruffians  " ;  the  "  Slave-state  men  "  called  the  "  Free-state 
men"  "Abolitionists " and  "Black 
Republicans." 

308.  Attack  on  Lawrence ;  John 
Brown ;  Assault  on  Charles  Sum- 
ner. In  the  course  of  this  period 
of  violence  and  bloodshed  the 
"Slave-state  men  "  attacked  Law- 
rence, plundered  the  town,  and 
burned  some  of  its  chief  buildings. 
This  roused  the  spirit  of  vengeance  in 
the  heart  of  "  Old  John  Brown "  of 
Osawatomie.1  He  was  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  Pilgrims  who  came  over  in  the 
Mayflower  (§73),  and  he  had  made  a 
solemn  vow  to  "  kill  American  slavery." 
In  return  for  the  attack  on  Lawrence, 
Brown  got  together  a  small  band,  sur- 
prised a  little  settlement  of  Slave-state 
men  on  Pottawatomie  Creek,  dragged  five  of  them  from  their 
beds,  and  deliberately  murdered  them.  Later,  Brown  crossed 
into  Missouri,  destroyed  considerable  property,  freed  eleven  slaves, 
and  shot  one  of  the  slave  owners.  In  the  end,  the  "  Free-state 
men "  won  the  victory,  and   Kansas,  following  the  example  of 

1  John  Brown,  born  in  Torrington,  Connecticut,  1800,  was  executed  at  Charlestown,  Vir- 
ginia (now  West  Virginia),  December  2, 1859,  for  having  attempted  by  armed  force  to  liberate 
slaves  in  that  state.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Peter  Brown,  who  came  over  in  the  May- 
flower in  1620.  When  a  boy  he  chanced  to  see  a  slave  boy  cruelly  beaten  by  his  master,  and 
he  then  and  there  vowed  (so  he  says)  "eternal  war  with  slavery."  In  1848  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  North  Elba,  New  York,  but  spent  a  great  deal  of  his  time  in  aiding  runaway  slaves 
to  get  to  Canada.  He  went  out  to  Osawatomie,  Kansas,  in  1855,  to  take  part  in  making  that 
territory  a  free  state,  and  also,  as  he  says,  to  strike  a  blow  at  slavery.  Brown's  party  declared 
that  they  perpetrated  the  "  Pottawatomie  Massacre  "  in  return  for  the  assassination  of  five 
"  Free-state  men  "  by  the  opposite  party. 


Emigrants  on  their  Way 
to  Kansas 


268      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1856-1^57 

Minnesota  and  Oregon  (185 8-18 59),  entered  the  Union  without 
slavery  (1861). 

During  the  heated  debate  in  Congress  over  the  Kansas  troubles, 
Senator  Charles  Sumner  of  Massachusetts  made  a  speech  denounc- 
ing slavery,  and  alluding  to  Senator  Butler  of  South  Carolina  in 
a  way  that  stung  the  latter's  friends  to  madness.  Representative 
Brooks,  a  kinsman  of  Butler's,  considered  the  speech  an  insult ; 
he  brutally  assaulted  Sumner,  and  beat  him  so  severely  over  the 
head  with  a  heavy  cane  that  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  seat  in 
Congress  for  nearly  four  years.  In  less  than  a  year  from  his  return 
(1859)  South  Carolina  seceded  from  the  Union. 

309.  Summary.  The  chief  events  of  Pierce's  administration 
were:  (1)  the  "World's  Fair"  exhibition;  (2)  Commodore  Perry's 
treaty  with  Japan,  opening  that  country  to  trade  with  the  United 
States  ;  (3)  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,  repealing  the 
Missouri  Compromise ;  (4)  the  foundation  of  the  modern  Repub- 
lican party ;  and  (5)  the  struggle  of  the  North  and  the  South  for 
the  possession  of  Kansas. 

James  Buchanan  (Democrat) 

310.  Buchanan's  Administration  (Fifteenth  President,  One 
Term,  1857-1861);  the  Case  of  Dred  Scott.  Two  days  after 
President  Buchanan's 1  inauguration  Chief  Justice  Taney  gave  the 
decision  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  a  case  of  great 
importance,  known  as  the  "Dred  Scott  Case."  Scott  was  a  negro 
slave  and  the  son  of  slave  parents.  His  master  had  taken  him 
(1834)  from  the  slave  state  of  Missouri  to  the  free  state  of  Illinois, 
where  he  stayed  two  years.  He  then  took  him  to  what  is  now 
Minnesota,  a  part  of  the  country  in  which  Congress  had  prohibited 
slavery  by  the  Missouri  Compromise  (§§  243,  305).  Finally,  he 
carried  Scott  back  to  Missouri. 

1  James  Buchanan  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  1791 ;  died,  1868.  He  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress in  1820;  later,  to  the  United  States  Senate;  was  minister  to  Russia;  Secretary  of 
State  under  Polk;  and  in  1853  minister  to  England.  He  was  elected  President  (John  C 
Breckenridge  of  Kentucky,  Vice  President)  by  the  Democrats,  over  John  C  Fremont,  the 
Republican  candidate,  and  Millard  Fillmore,  the  American,  or  "  Know  Nothing,"  candidate. 


1857]  DECISION  IN  THE  DRED  SCOTT  CASE  269 

There  he  sold  him  to  a  new  master ;  but  the  negro  demanded 
his  liberty  on  the  ground  that  since  he  had  lived  for  a  considerable 
time  on  free  soil  he  had  therefore  become  a  free  man. 

311.  Decision  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  the  Dred 
Scott  Case,  1857 ;  Results  at  the  North.  The  case  was  carried  to 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court.    In  1857  that  court1  decided  : 

1.  That  a  negro  (whether  bond  or  free),  who  was  a  descendant 
of  slave  ancestors,  was  not  an  American  citizen. 

2.  That  therefore  he  could  not  sue  (even  for  his  liberty)  in  the 
United  States  courts. 

3 .  It  furthermore  decided  that  Scott  had  not  gained  his  freedom 
by  going  into  a  free  state,  or  into  a  territory  where  Congress  had 
prohibited  slavery  by  the  Missouri  Compromise  (§§  243,  305),  since 
Congress  had  no  rightful  power  to  make  such  a  law.   (Map,  p.  270.) 

Chief  Justice  Taney  had  shown  himself  a  friend  to  the  black 
man,  for  he  had  voluntarily  freed  his  own  slaves.  But  when  he 
gave  the  decision  of  the  court  he  took  occasion  to  say  that  when 
the  Constitution  was  adopted  negroes  t?  had  no  rights  which  the 
white  man  was  bound  to  respect."  Finally,  he  declared  that  Scott's 
master  could  lawfully  take  his  slaves  into  any  territory,  just  as  he 
could  his  horses  and  his  cattle. 

This  decision  by  the  highest  court  in  the  United  States  stirred 
the  North  like  an  electric  shock.  The  people  of  that  section  be- 
lieved that  it  practically  threw  open  to  slavery  not  only  the  terri- 
tories but  even  the  free  states.2  The  result  was  that  many  people 
determined  that  the  law  should  not  be  carried  out.3  This,  of  course, 
angered  the  South,  and  greatly  increased  the  bad  feeling  between 
the  two  sections. 

312.  The  Business  Panic  (1857).  While  men  were  excitedly  dis- 
cussing the  Dred  Scott  decision,  and  while  the  danger  of  disunion 
was  growing  more  and  more  threatening,  a  heavy  business  failure 

1  Judge  McLean  and  Judge  Curtis  did  not  agree  with  the  other  seven  judges. 

2  That  is,  that  the  free  states  could  not  prevent  a  slaveholder  from  bringing  his 
slaves  with  him  (as  Scott's  master  had  done),  and  staying  at  least  two  years  with  them  on 
free  soil. 

8  The  Northern  people  believed  that  under  the  Constitution  slaves  could  only  be  held 
in  those  states  which  protected  slavery  by  their  laws,  and  that  if  a  master  took  his  negroes 
into  a  state  whose  laws  forbade  slavery,  he  could  not  hold  them  in  bondage  there, 


270 


1857-1859]    SILVER,  PETROLEUM,  AND  NATURAL  GAS      271 


occurred  in  Cincinnati.  This  brought  down  other  business  houses, 
just  as  when  a  large  building  falls  the  smaller  ones  whose  walls 
rest  against  it  often  fall  with  it.  The  panic  of  1837  (§  275)  was 
now  repeated.  Nearly  all  the  banks  in  the  country  failed,  many 
railways  could  not  pay  their  debts,  thousands  of  merchants  and 
manufacturers  were  ruined,  and  it  seemed  it  one  time  as  though 
the  rich  must  become  poor,  and  the  poor  must  become  beggars. 

The  chief  causes  of  this  trouble  were  to  be  found  in  the  results 
of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  (§295).    The  wealth  which 
poured  in  from  the  mines  had  stimulated  men  to  overdo  all  kinds 
of  business,  more  lines  of  railway  had  been  built 
in    the   West    than   the    population    demanded, 
many  manufacturers  had  made  greater  quantities 
of  goods  than  they  could  sell,  and  many  mer- 
chants had  bought  more  than  they  could  pay 
for.    The  country  was  like 
a  man  who  had  worked  be- 
yond his  strength  —  it  had 
to  stop  and  take  a  rest. 

313.  Discovery  of  Silver 
in  Nevada  and  Colorado,  and 
of  Petroleum  and  Natural 
Gas  in  Pennsylvania.  But 
less  than  two  years  after  the 
panic  some  of  the  richest 
silver  mines  ever  discovered 

on  the  globe  were  found  in  the  mountain  region 
Nevada  (1859).  The  two  chief  of  these,  known  as  the  "  Bonanza  " 
mines,  sent  out  many  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  ore  cast  in  the 
form  of  "  silver  bricks."  When,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  Bonanza 
mines  were  practically  worked  out,  new  mines  were  found  (1877) 
in  Leadville  and  other  parts  of  Colorado  and  in  Utah,  which  sent 
out  a  fresh  supply  of  the  precious  metal. 

The  same  year  (1859)  E.  L.  Drake  bored  the  first  successful 
oil  well  on  Oil  Creek,  near  Titusville,  in  northwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania.   Since  then  petroleum  has  flowed,  or  is  pumped,  from  the 


Drake's  Oil  Well 
mountain    region    of  western 


272      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1859- 


wells  opened  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Texas,  southern  New 
York,  and  the  Far  West.  The  average  yield  of  these  wells  has 
often  been  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  oil  a  day. 
Lines  of  iron  pipes,  laid  underground,  now  carry  the  oil  over 
hills,  across  rivers,  through  forests  and  farms,  to  Chicago,  Buffalo, 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  Baltimore,  and  other  points  on  the  Great 
Lakes,  the  seacoast,  and  elsewhere.  The  largest  stream  of  oil  has 
a  total  length  (including  main  pipe  lines  and  "feeders")  of  not  far 
from  75,000  miles  ;  it  is  about  eighteen  times  the  length  of  the 
Mississippi-Missouri,  the  longest  river  in  America  or  in  the  world. 


Harpers  Ferry  in  1859 

The  Standard  Oil  Company  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  secured  practical 
control  of  the  chief  part  of  the  business  (1877).  Petroleum  is  used 
not  only  for  giving  light,  but  for  heating  purposes  and  for  driving 
motor  cars  and  machinery. 

About  fifteen  years  after  the  discovery  of  petroleum  in  Pennsyl- 
vania natural  gas  was  found  issuing  from  the  rocks  in  the  same 
region,  and  later  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  other  parts  of  the  West. 
This  gas,  which  is  largely  used,  at  one  time  took  the  place  of  oil 
and  coal  in  Pittsburg,  Indianapolis,  and  vicinity,  for  lighting  streets 
and  houses,  for  cooking,  and  for  fuel  in  manufacturing. 


1859-1860]    THE  ELECTION  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  273 

314.  John  Brown's  Raid.  But  while  the  excitement  over  the 
discovery  of  petroleum  was  spreading,  and  men  were  getting  rich 
by  "  striking  oil,"  a  strange  event  startled  the  whole  country. 
"John  Brown  of  Osawatomie  "  (§  308)  made  a  raid  into  Virginia, 
seized  the  government  buildings  at  Harpers  Ferry,  and  attempted 
to  liberate  the  slaves  in  that  vicinity  (October  17,  1859).  John 
Brown's  whole  band  consisted  of  only  about  twenty  men,  partly 
whites  and  partly  negroes.  After  hard  fighting  he  was  captured, 
with  six  of  his  companions,  and  hanged  at  Charlestown,  Virginia 
(now  West  Virginia)  (December  2,  1859).  On  the  day  of  his 
execution  he  handed  this  paper  to  one  of  his  guards:  "I,  John. 
Brown,  am  now  quite  certain  that  the  crimes  of  this  guilty  land 
will  never  be  purged  away  but  with  blood.  I  had,  as  I  now 
think,  vainly  flattered  myself  that  without  very  much  bloodshed 
it  might  be  done."1 

Within  a  year  and  a  half  from  the  day  of  his  death  the  North 
and  the  South  were  at  war  with  each  other,  and  a  Northern  regi- 
ment on  its  way  to  the  contest  was  singing, 

"John  Brown's  body  lies  a-moldering  in  the  grave, 
But  his  soul  is  marching  on." 

315.  The  Election  of  Abraham  Lincoln;  Secession  of  South 
Carolina,  i860.  In  November,  i860,  Abraham  Lincoln2  of  Illi- 
nois was  elected  by  the  Republican  party  President  of  the  United 

1  Governor  Wise  of  Virginia  said  of  John  Brown,  "  He  inspired  me  with  great  trust  in 
his  integrity  as  a  man  of  truth."  The  Governor  also  said :  "  They  are  mistaken  who  take 
Brown  for  a  madman.  He  is  a  bundle  of  the  best  nerves  I  ever  saw  .  .  .  cool,  collected, 
indomitable."  In  his  last  speech  at  his  trial,  John  Brown  declared  that  his  only  object  had 
been  to  liberate  the  slaves,  and  that  he  did  not  intend  to  commit  murder  or  treason  or  to 
destroy  property.   w  I  feel,"  said  he,  "  no  consciousness  of  guilt." 

2  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Kentucky, 'in  1809.  His  early  life  was 
spent  in  toil,  hardship,  and  poverty ;  but  it  was  the  independent  poverty  of  the  Western 
wilderness,  and  it  made  men  of  those  who  fought  their  way  out  of  it. 

When  the  boy  was  only  eight  years  old  he  had  learned  to  swing  an  ax.  From  that  time 
until  he  came  of  age  he  literally  chopped  and  hewed  his  way  forward  and  upward.  He 
learned  to  read  from  two  books  —  the  spelling  book  and  the  Bible  ;  then  he  borrowed  "  Pil- 
grim's Progress"  and  iEsop's  Fables,  and  would  sit  up  half  the  night  reading  them  "by 
the  blaze  of  the  logs  his  own  ax  had  split." 

In  1816  the  Lincoln  family  moved  to  Spencer  County,  Indiana  ;  and  in  1830,  to  Decatur, 
Illinois.  On  this  last  occasion  young  Lincoln  walked  the  entire  distance,  nearly  two  hundred 
miles,  through  mud  and  water,  driving  a  four-ox  team.  The  journey  took  fifteen  days,  for 
even  two  yoke  of  oxen  do  not  move  quite  as  fast  as  steam.   When  they  reached  their 


274       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [i860 

States,  then  a  nation  of  over  30,000,000.  That  party,  though  it 
denounced  John  Brown's  attempt  (§  314)  as  "  lawless  and  unjustifi- 
able," pledged  itself  to  shut  out  slavery  from  the  territories. 

The  people  of  South  Carolina  believed  that  the  election  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  meant  that  the  great  majority  of  the  North  was  determined 
to  bring  about  the  liberation  of  the  negroes.  That  was  a  great  mis- 
take ;  but  the  Carolinians  could  not  then  be  convinced  to  the  con- 
trary. They  furthermore  saw  that  they  could  no  longer  hope  to 
maintain  the  power  they  once  possessed  in  Congress,  for  the  free 
states  now  had  six  more  senators  and  fifty-seven  more  representa- 
tives than  the  slave  states  had.1 

On  December  20,  i860,  a  convention  met  in  "  Secession  Hall," 
in  Charleston,  and  unanimously  voted  "  that  the  union  now  sub- 
sisting between  South  Carolina  and  other  states,  under  the  name 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  is  hereby  dissolved."  Those  who 
thus  voted  said  that  it  was  no  hasty  resolution  on  their  part,  but 

destination,  in  what  was  then  an  almost  unsettled  country,  the  father  and  son  set  to  work  to 
build  the  log  cabin  which  was  to  be  their  home  ;  and  when  that  was  finished,  young  Lincoln 
split  the  rails  to  fence  in  their  farm  of  ten  acres. 

Such  work  was  play  to  him.  He  was  now  twenty-one  ;  he  stood  six  feet  three  and  a  half 
inches,  barefooted ;  he  was  in  perfect  health ;  could  outrun,  outjump,  outwrestle,  and,  if 
necessary,  outfight  any  one  of  his  age  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  "  his  grip  was  like  the 
grip  of  Hercules."  Without  this  rugged  strength  he  could  never  have  endured  the  strain 
that  the  nation  later  put  upon  him. 

In  1834  he  resolved  to  begin  the  study  of  law.  A  friend  in  Springfield  offered  to  lend 
him  some  books ;  Lincoln  walked  there,  twenty-two  miles  from  New  Salem  (where  he  then 
lived),  and,  it  is  said,  brought  back  with  him  four  heavy  volumes  of  Blackstone,  at  the  end 
of  the  same  day. 

A  few  years  later  he  opened  a  law  office  in  Springfield.  In  1846  "Honest  Abe,"  as  his 
neighbors  and  friends  called  him,  was  elected  to  Congress;  and  in  i860,  to  the  presidency 
of  the  United  States,  by  the  Republican  party  (Hannibal  Hamlin  of  Maine,  Vice  President). 
The  Democratic  party  had  split  into  a  Northern  and  a  Southern  party.  The  former  had 
nominated  Stephen  A.  Douglas  of  Illinois,  and  the  latter  John  C.  Breckenridge  of  Kentucky. 
The  former  American  (or  "  Know  Nothing  ")  party,  which  now  called  itself  the  "  Constitu- 
tional Union  Party,"  had  nominated  John  Bell  of  Tennessee.  Lincoln  received  nearly  half 
a  million  more  votes  than  Douglas,  and  more  than  a  million  in  excess  of  those  cast  for  either 
of  the  other  candidates. 

1  In  1790,  just  after  the  foundation  of  the  government,  the  free  states  (that  is,  the  northern 
states ;  they  had  comparatively  few  slaves)  had  14  senators  and  35  representatives  in  Con- 
gress;  the  slave  states,  12  senators  and  30  representatives.  From  1796  to  1812,  inclusive, 
the  free  states  and  the  slave  states  had  an  equal  number  in  the  Senate,  but  the  free  states 
had  a  majority  in  the  House.  After  1848  the  free  states  had  a  majority  in  both  Senate  and 
House,  and  in  the  latter  this  majority  was  constantly  increasing.  That  fact  meant  that  the 
South  had  lost  its  political  power,  partly  because  slavery  had  failed  to  get  a  foothold  in  the 
Far  West,  but  mainly  because  the  North  had  outgrown  the  South  in  population. 


275 


276       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1860-1861 

that  it  had  been  under  consideration  for  many  years.  The  declara- 
tion of  secession  was  welcomed  in  the  streets  of  Charleston  with 
the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of  bells.  The  citizens  believed 
that  they  had  broken  up  the  Union,  and  that  South  Carolina  had 

now,  as  its  governor  said,  become 
a  "  free  and  independent  state." 
316.  Secession  of  Six  Other 
Southern  States;  Formation  of 
the  *  *  Confederate  States  of  Amer- 
ica.' '  By  the  first  of  February 
(1861)  the  states  of  Georgia, 
Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama, 
Louisiana,  and  Texas  —  mak- 
ing seven  in  all  —  had  likewise 
withdrawn  from  the  Union.  A 
seceding  senator  rashly  declared 
that  they  had  left  the  national 
government  "  a  corpse  lying  in 
state  in  Washington."  Dele- 
gates from  these  states  met  at 
Montgomery,  Alabama.  They 
framed  a  government  (1861)  and  took  the  name  of  the  "Confed- 
erate States  of  America,"  with  Montgomery  as  the  capital ;  then 
they  elected  Jefferson  Davis *  of  Mississippi,  President  of  the  Con- 
federacy, and  Alexander  H .  Stephens  2  of  Georgia,  Vice  President. 


W^**^* 


Boyhood  of  Lincoln 


1  Jefferson  Davis  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1808;  died,  1889.  He  graduated  at  West 
Point  Military  Academy  in  1828.  In  1845  he  was  elected  to  Congress  by  the  Democrats 
in  Mississippi,  of  which  state  he  had  become  a  resident.  He  served  with  distinction  in  the 
Mexican  War.  In  1847  he  entered  the  United  States  Senate,  where,  like  Calhoun,  he  advo- 
cated "  State  Sovereignty "  (§  269)  and  the  extension  of  slavery.  President  Pierce  made 
him  Secretary  of  War.  He  was  United  States  senator  under  Buchanan.  His  state  (Missis- 
sippi) seceded  on  January  9,  1861.  Mr.  Davis  kept  his.  seat  in  the  Senate  until  January  21, 
and  then,  with  a  speech  asserting  the  right  of  secession,  he  withdrew  to  join  the  Southern 
Confederacy. 

2  Alexander  H.  Stephens  was  born  in  Georgia  in  1812  ;  died,  1883.  He  was  in  Congress 
as  a  representative  of  the  Whigs  from  1843  to  1859.  He  afterwards  joined  the  Democrats, 
He  at  first  opposed  secession,  and  said  that  it  was  "  the  height  of  madness,  folly,  and  wicked- 
ness " ;  but  when  Georgia  seceded,  he  decided  that  it  was  his  duty  to  stand  by  his  state. 
After  the  Civil  War  he  again  entered  Congress,  and  in  1882  he  was  elected  governor  of 
Georgia.    He  was  a  man  who  had  the  entire  respect  of  those  who  knew  him5 


1860-1861]  WHY  THE  SOUTH  SECEDED  277 

The  Confederate  States  now  cast  aside  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and 
hoisted  a  new  flag,  the  Stars  and  Bars,  in  its  place. 

317.  Why  the  South  seceded;  Seizure  of  National  Property; 
the  Star  of  the  West  fired  on.  What  took  these  seven  states  — 
soon  to  be  followed  by  four  more  —  out  of  the  Union  ?  The 
answer  is,  It  was  first  their  conviction  that  slavery  would  thrive 
better  by  being  separated  from  the  influence  of  the  North ;  and, 
secondly,  it  was  their  belief  in  "  State  Rights,"  or,  better,  tc  State 
Sovereignty  "  (§  269),  upheld  by  South  Carolina  as  far  back  as 
Jackson's  presidency.  According  to  that  idea,  any  state  was  justi- 
fied in  separating  itself  from  the  United  States  whenever  it  became 
convinced  that  it  was  for  its  interest  to  withdraw. 

In  this  act  of  secession  many  of  the  people  of  the  South  took 
no  direct  part,  —  a  large  number  being,  in  fact,  utterly  opposed 
to  it,  —  but  the  political  leaders  were  fully  determined  on  separa- 
tion. Their  aim  was  to  establish  a  great  slaveholding  republic  of 
which  they  should  be  head.1 

President  Buchanan  made  no  attempt  to  prevent  the  states  from 
seceding ;  part  of  his  cabinet  were  Southern  men,  who  were  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  Southern  leaders,  and  the  President  did  not  see 
how  to  act. 

The  seceded  states  seized  the  forts,  arsenals,  and  other  national 
property  within  their  limits,  so  far  as  they  could  do  so.  Fort 
Sumter,  commanded  by  Major  Anderson  of  the  United  States 
army,  in  Charleston  harbor,  was  one  of  the  few  where  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  remained  flying.  President  Buchanan  had  made  an  effort 
to  send  men  and  supplies  to  Major  Anderson  by  the  merchant 
steamer  Star  of  the  West  (January  9,  1861) ;  but  the  people  of 
Charleston  fired  upon  the  steamer,  and  compelled  her  to  go  back. 

1  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Vice  President  of  the  Confederacy,  said,  in  a  speech  at  Savannah, 
March  ax,  1861 :  "The  prevailing  idea  entertained  by  him  [Jefferson]  and  most  of  the  lead- 
ing statesmen  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  old  Constitution  [the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States]  was  that  the  enslavement  of  the  African  was  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  nature  ; 
that  it  was  wrong  in  principle  —  socially,  morally,  and  politically.  .  .  .  Our  new  government 
[the  Southern  Confederacy]  is  founded  upon  exactly  the  opposite  idea ;  its  foundations  are 
laid,  its  corner  stone  rests,  upon  the  great  truth  that  the  negro  is  not  equal  to  the  white  man  ; 
that  slavery  —  subordination  to  the  superior  race  —  is  his  natural  and  normal  condition."  — 
McPherson's  Political  History  of  the  Rebellion,  p.  103. 


278       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1861 

All  eyes  were  now  turned  toward  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  great 
question  was,  What  will  he  do  when  he  becomes  President  ? 

318.  General  Summary  from  Washington  to  Buchanan  (1789- 
1861);  Growth  of  the  West;  Secession.  Looking  back  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  presidency  of  Washington  (1789),  we  see  that  over 
seventy  years  had  elapsed  since  the  formation  of  the  Union.  We 
then  had  a  population  of  less  than  4,000,000 ;  at  the  outbreak  of 
secession  (i860)  we  had  eight  times  that  number,  and  much  more 
than  eight  times  the  wealth  possessed  by  us  in  1789.  Thus,  from  a 
small  and  poor  nation  we  had  grown  to  be  great  and  prosperous. 

In  1789  our  western  boundary  was  the  Mississippi,  and  there 
seemed  no  prospect  that  we  should  extend  beyond  it.    Long  be- 

■f   "jf'j*  ^ore   1^1  we  ^a<^  reacned  the 

/KES  PEAK  *jffff  Pacific.     Our  original   800,000 

square  miles  had  increased  to 
over  3,000,000 ;  and  the  origi- 
nal thirteen  states  had  added  to 
themselves  twenty-one  more,  be- 
sides immense  territories.  (Map, 

p.  286.) 

On  the  Way  to  Colorado  t     t„o,-,         u   j  u  *.  a 

In  1 789  we  had  but  five  cities, 

—  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Charleston,  — 
and  they  were  so  small  that  they  were  hardly  worthy  of  the  name. 
By  1 86 1  five  of  these  places  had  grown  enormously  in  popula- 
tion and  wealth ;  furthermore,  Brooklyn,  Detroit,  Cincinnati,  and 
St.  Louis  had  become  large  and  flourishing  cities,  and  we  had 
added  to  them  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,1  Indianapolis,  Mil- 
waukee, New  Orleans,  Galveston,  Kansas  City,  and  Salt  Lake  City, 
besides  Portland,  Seattle,  and  San  Francisco  in  the  Far  West ;  all 
but  the  last  six  were  connected  with  one  another  by  railways  and 
lines  of  telegraph. 

In  fact,  the  western  and  northwestern  parts  of  the  country  had 
advanced  "by  leaps  and  bounds,"  so  that  every  year  beheld  it 

1  The  eastern  part  of  what  is  now  Minneapolis  was  incorporated  as  a  city,  under  the 
name  of  St.  Anthony,  in  i860.  The  west  side,  named  Minneapolis,  was  incorporated  as  a 
city  in  1867  ;  in  1872  the  two  were  united  under  that  name. 


1861]  SECESSION  279 

coming  more  and  more  to  the  front.  Emigrants,  miners,  and 
other  pioneers  of  civilization  were  constantly  pushing  forward  into 
the  vast  region  beyond  the  Mississippi.  There  they  were  building 
the  first  rude  shanties  of  settlements  which  were  to  become  known 
as  Omaha  (1854)  and  Denver  (1858),  and  they  were  laying  the 
foundations  of  the  twelve  great  states x  which,  with  West  Virginia, 
have  since  joined  the  Union. 

But  between  1789  and  1861  there  was  this  sad  difference: 
Washington  had  found  and  left  us  a  united  people ;  Buchanan, 
a  divided  people.  Seven  of  our  states  had  seceded ;  four  more 
would  go.  For  many  years  we  had  been  brothers  ;  now  we  were 
fast  becoming  enemies.  Only  let  the  word  be  spoken,  and  our 
swords  would  leap  from  their  scabbards,  and  we  would  fly  at  each 
other's  throats. 

What  had  brought  about  this  deplorable  change  ?  Time.  Time 
had  strengthened  slavery  at  the  South  and  freedom  at  the  North. 
It  was  no  longer  possible  for  both  to  dwell  together  in  peace  under 
the  same  flag.  Either  the  Union  must  be  dissolved,  or  those  who 
loved  the  Union  must  fight  to  save  it ;  and,  before  the  war  should 
end,  must  fight  to  make  it  wholly  free.  If  freedom  should  triumph, 
then  lasting  peace  would  be  restored  ;  for  then  the  North  and  the 
South  —  no  longer  separated  by  slavery  —  would  again  become  one 
great,  prosperous,  and  united  people. 

1  The  twelve  states  are  Kansas,  Nevada,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  North  Dakota,  South 
Dakota,  Montana,  Washington,  Idaho,  Wyoming,  Utah,  and  Oklahoma.  They  entered  the 
Union  between  January,  1861,  and  November,  1907. 


VIII 

"  Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought  forth  upon  this  con- 
tinent a  new  nation,  conceived  in  liberty,  and  dedicated  to  the  proposition  that 
all  men  are  created  equal.  .  .  .  We  here  highly  resolve  .  .  .  that  this  nation, 
under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom ;  and  that  government  of  the 
people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 
—  President  Lincoln's  Address  at  Gettysburg,  November  19,  i86j. 

THE  CIVIL  WAR1 

(April,  i  861— April,  1865) 

the  republican  party  in  power 

Abraham  Lincoln  (Republican)  and  Andrew  Johnson 
(War  Democrat) 

319.  Lincoln's  and  Johnson's  Administrations  (Sixteenth  and 
Seventeenth  Presidents,  Two  Terms,2  1861-1869)  J  the  President's 
Arrival  at  Washington;  his  Inaugural  Address;  his  Intentions 
toward  the  Seceded  States.  President  Lincoln's  friends  believed 
that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  him  to  make  the  last  part  of  his 
journey  to  Washington  publicly ;  and  he  therefore  reached  the 
national  capital  secretly  by  a  special  night  train. 

1  Reference  Books  (the  Civil  War).  W.  Wilson's  "  Division  and  Reunion,"  ch. 
8-10 ;  T.  A.  Dodge's  ""A  Bird's-Eye  View  of  Our  Civil  War  "  (revised  edition) ;  W. 
C.  Bryant  and  Gay's  "United  States"  (revised  edition),  IV,  ch.  17-19;  V,  ch.  7-18  ; 
J.  Schouler's  "Civil  War";  A.  B.  Hart's  "American  History  by  Contemporaries," 
IV,  ch.  18-22  ;  A.  B.  Hart's  "  Source  Book,"  pp.  296-335  ;  F.  E.  Chadwick's  "  Causes 
of  the  Civil  War  " ;  J.  K.  Hosmer's  "  The  Appeal  to  Arms  " ;  J.  K.  Hosmer's  "  Out- 
come of  the  Civil  War."    See  also  the  classified  List  of  Books  in  the  Appendix. 

2  Abraham  Lincoln  (§315,  note  2)  was  elected  President  by  the  Republican  party 
(Hannibal  Hamlin  of  Maine,  Vice  President),  in  i860,  over  Douglas  and  Breckenridge,  the 
two  candidates  of  the  Northern  and  the  Southern  Democrats,  and  Bell,  the  candidate  of 
the  "  Constitutional  Union"  party.  He  was  again  elected  by  the  Republicans  in  1864  (Andrew 
Johnson  of  Tennessee,  Vice  President)  over  General  George  B.  McClellan,  the  Democratic 
candidate.  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated  April  14,  1865,  one  month  and  ten  days  after 
entering  upon  his  second  administration.  Vice  President  Johnson  then  became  President 

280 


1861-] 


THE  FIRST  GUN  OF  THE  WAR 


281 


At  his  inauguration  (March  4,  1861)  he  said:  "I  have  no 
purpose,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  interfere  with  the  institution  of 
slavery  in  the  states  where  it  exists.  I  believe  I  have  no  lawful  right 
to  do  so ;  and  I  have 
no  inclination  to  do  so." 
But  the  President  also 
declared  in  the  same 
speech  that  he  held  the 
Union  to  be  perpetual, 
and  that  he  should  do 
his  utmost  to  keep  the 
oath  he  had  just  taken 
"  to  preserve,  protect, 
and  defend  it"  (§199). 
He  furthermore  declared 
that  the  government  had 
no  intention  of  begin- 
ning war  against  the  se- 
ceded states,  but  would 


MORRIS \ B9LAHO Jl*"**!  We" 

Battery 


Charleston  Harbor 

Showing  Fort  Sumter  and  the  battery  which  fired  on  the 
Star  of  the  West 


only  use  its  power  to  retake  the  forts  and  other  national  property 
which  had  been  seized  by  the  Confederacy. 

At  this  time  the  general  feeling  throughout  the  northern  states 
was  a  strong  desire  for  peace  and  a  willingness  to  assure  the 
southern  states  that  their  constitutional  right1  to  hold  slaves 
should  not  be  interfered  with. 


First  Year  of  the  War  (April,  i  861— April,  1862) 

320.  Major  Anderson's  Condition  at  Fort  Sumter;  the  First 
Gun  of  the  War;  Surrender  of  the  Fort.  Major  Anderson  now 
sent  a  message  to  the  President,  stating  that  he  could  not  long 

for  the  remainder  of  the  term.  President  Lincoln,  on  first  entering  office,  chose  William  H. 
Seward,  Secretary  of  State ;  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  Gideon  Welles, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  and  Simon  Cameron,  Secretary  of  War  (succeeded,  January  15,  1862, 
by  Edwin  M.  Stanton).  During  the  Civil  War  they  rendered  services  of  inestimable  value 
to  the  President  and  to  the  nation. 

1  See  the  Constitution  (as  it  then  stood),  Article  IV,  Section  2,  Paragraph  3,  "  No  person 
held  to  service"  etc. 


282       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1861 


continue  to  hold  Fort  Sumter  unless  provisions  were  sent  to 
him.  His  entire  garrison,  aside  from  some  laborers,  consisted  of 
eighty-five  officers  and  men  ;  the  Confederate  force  in  Charles- 
ton was  about  7000.  The  government  immediately  made  arrange- 
ments to  send  the  needed  supplies.  As  soon  as  Jefferson  Davis 
heard  of  it,  he  ordered  General  Beauregard,  in  command  of  the 


MA  Fort  Sumter 

Confederate   army   at    Charleston,   to  demand   the   surrender  of 
the  fort. 

Major  Anderson  declined  to  surrender,  and  at  daybreak,  ApriL 
12,  1 86 1,  the  Confederates  fired  the  first  gun  at  the  fort.  It  was 
answered  by  one  from  Sumter.  War  had  begun.  For  thirty-four 
hours  nineteen  batteries  rained  shot  and  shell  against  the  fort, 
which  continued  to  fire  back.  Notwithstanding  this  tremendous 
cannonade,  no  one  was  killed  on  either  side.  But  Major  Ander- 
son, finding  that  his  ammunition  was  nearly  exhausted,  and  having 
nothing  but  pork  to  eat,  decided  to  give  up  the  fort.  On  Sunday 
(April  14)  he,  with  his  garrison,  left  the  fort  and  embarked  for 
New  York  ;  he  carried  with  him  the  shot-torn  flag  under  which 
he  and  his  men  had  fought  (§  358). 


1861]  THE  RISING  OF  THE  NORTH  283 

321.  President  Lincoln's  Call  for  Volunteers;  the  Rising  of  the 
North.  The  next  day  (April  15,  1861)  President  Lincoln  called 
for  75,000  volunteers  for  three  months'  service,  for  few  then 
supposed  that  the  war,  if  there  was  really  to  be  a  war,  would  last 
longer  than  that.  In  response  to  the  Pres- 
ident's call  the  whole  North  seemed  to 
rise.  Men  of  all  parties  forgot  their  politi- 
cal quarrels,  and  hastened  to  the  defense 
of  the  capital.  The  heart  of  the  people 
stood  by  the  Union,  and  by  the  old  flag. 
Within  thirty-six  hours  several  companies 

from  Pennsylvania  had  reached  Washing- 

^,  j-i      r  n         j    u     i-i-       The  Confederate  Flag 

ton.    I  hey  were  speedily  iollowed  by  the 

Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment  —  the  first 

full  regiment  to  march.  They  had  to  fight  their  way  through  a  mob 
at  Baltimore.  There,  on  April  19,  1 861,  the  day  on  which  the  Revo- 
lutionary battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord  were  fought,  the  first 
Union  soldiers  gave  their  lives  for  the  preservation  of  the  nation. 
Many  of  the  volunteers  were  lads  under  twenty,  and  some  of 
them  had  never  left  home  before.    There  were  many  affecting 

scenes  when  the  "  boys  in  blue  " *  started 
for  Washington.  Anxious  mothers  took 
tearful  leave  of  sons,  whom  they  feared 
they  should  never  see  again.  The  peril 
of  the  republic  touched  men  in  all 
conditions  of  life  as  nothing  ever  had 
before.    Farmers  left  their  plows,   me- 

The  Shot-Torn  Flag  which  chanics  dropped  their  tools,  clerks  said 
Anderson  carried  away       r  n   .     ,,     .  ,  -,, 

from  Fort  Sumter  farewdl  to  their  employers,  college  stu- 

dents threw  down  their  books  —  all  hur- 
ried to  take  their  places  in  the  ranks,  and  even  lads  of  fifteen 
begged  to  go  as  drummer  boys. 

On  the  Southern  side  there  were  the  same  anxious  leave-takings  ; 
for  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  while  the  people  of  the  North 
were  eager  to  offer  their  lives  for  the  defense  of  the  Union,  the 

1  The  Union  soldiers  wore  blue  uniforms  ;  the  Confederates,  gray. 


284       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1861 

people  of  the  South  were  just  as  eager  to  give  theirs  to  repel 
what  they  considered  invasion. 

322.  Secession  of  Four  More  States;  General  Butler's  "Contra- 
bands." President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops  made  it  necessary  for 
the  remaining  slave  states  to  decide  at  once  whether  they  would 
remain  in  the  Union  or  go  out.  Virginia 1  joined  the  Confederacy  ; 
but  the  western  part  of  the  state  had  voted  against  secession, 
and  later  it  became  a  separate  state  (1863)  under  the  name  of 
West  Virginia.  The  Confederate  capital  was  soon  removed  from 
Montgomery  to  Richmond  (§316).  Arkansas,  Tennessee,  and 
North  Carolina  followed  the  example  of  Virginia ;  but  Delaware, 
Maryland,  Kentucky,  and  Missouri  did  not  secede.  By  the  middle 
of  June  the  Confederacy  consisted  of  eleven  states;  no  more 
were  added. 

General  Butler  of  Massachusetts  held  command  of  Fort  Mon- 
roe2 in  eastern  Virginia.  It  was  the  only  Union  stronghold  in  the 
state,  and  'was  of  the  very  highest  importance.  A  number  of  slaves 
came  to  the  general  and  begged  him  to  set  them  free.  He  had 
no  authority  to  give  them  their  liberty.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
was  certain  that  if  he  returned  these  slaves  to  their  masters  they 
would  use  them  in  carrying  on  the  war  against  the  Union.  Finally, 
General  Butler  got  out  of  the  difficulty  by  saying,  These  negroes 
are  contraband  of  war 3 ;  then  putting  spades  in  the  hands  of  the 
"contrabands,"  as  they  were  henceforth  called,  he  set  them  to  work 
to  strengthen  the  fort.  General  Butler's  action  was  the  first  de- 
cided blow  struck  at  the  existence  of  slavery  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war. 

323.  Condition  of  the  North  and  of  the  South  with  Respect  to 
the  War.  In  regard  to  the  terrible  struggle  now  about  to  begin 
between  the  North  and  the  South,  each  of  the  combatants  had 
certain  advantages  over  the  other. 

1  The  secession  of  eastern  Virginia  immensely  increased  the  military  difficulties  with 
which  the  North  had  to  contend.  Had  Virginia  remained  in  the  Union  (as  she  seemed  at 
one  time  likely  to  do),  the  war  would  probably  have  been  of  short  duration. 

2  Commonly  called  Fortress  Monroe,  but  officially  designated  Fort  Monroe. 

3  Contraband  of  war :  here  meaning,  forfeited  by  the  customs  or  laws  of  war.  General 
Butler's  idea  was  that  the  laws  of  war  forbade  his  returning  any  property  to  the  Confederates 
which  they  could  use  in  carrying  on  the  contest. 


1861]     THE  NORTH  AND  THE  SOUTH  IN  THE  WAR      285 

1.  At  the  North  the  national  government  had  more  than  twice 
as  many  men  to  draw  on  as  the  South.1 

2.  The  North,  although  unprepared  for  war,  had  iron  mills, 
shipyards,  foundries,  machine  shops,  and  factories  of  all  kinds. 
For  this  reason  it  could  make  everything  its  soldiers  would  heed, 
from  a  blanket  to  a  battery. 

3.  The  North  had  the  command  of  the  sea,  and  so  with  its  war 
vessels  —  most  of  which,  however,  it  had  to  buy  or  build  —  it  could 
shut  up  the  Southern  ports  and  cut  them  off  from  help  from  abroad. 

The  South  had  the  following  advantages  : 

1.  It  had  prepared  for  the  war  by  getting  possession  of  large 
quantities  of  arms  and  ammunition  (though  it  had  small  means  of 
getting  any  more). 

2.  With  the  exception  of  General  Scott  and  a  few  others  who 
stood  by  the  Union,  it  had  a  majority  of  the  best  known  officers 
in  the  regular  army,  —  such  men  as  Robert  E.  Lee  of  Virginia 2 
and  General  Beauregard. 

3.  It  could  send  all  of  its  fighting  men  to  the  front,  while  it  kept 
several  millions  of  slaves  at  work  raising  food  to  support  them. 

4.  It  was  able  to  fight  on  the  defensive,  on  its  own  soil,  and  so 
required  fewer  soldiers. 

General  Grant  thought  that  the  two  armies,  all  things  considered, 
were  about  equally  matched. 

324.  How  Money  was  raised  to  carry  on  the  War;  National 
Banks.  The  national  government  needed  immense  sums  of  money 
to  pay  the  Union  soldiers,  and  to  obtain  arms  and  military  supplies. 
The  South,  on  the  other  hand,  was  soon  practically  cut  off  from 

1  The  total  population  of  the  United  States  in  i860  was,  in  round  numbers,  32,000,000. 
The  Union  states,  including  the  border  states,  had  about  23,000,000 ;  the  eleven  seceded 
states  about  9,000,000,  of  which  nearly  3,500,000  were  slaves.  Both  sides  drew  men  from  the 
border  states. 

2  General  Lee  was  born  in  Virginia,  1807  ;  died,  1870.  He  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point 
and  served  with  distinction  in  the  Mexican  War  (§  292).  When  Virginia  seceded,  Lee,  who 
was  then  a  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  United  States  army,  said,  "  I  recognize  no  necessity 
for  this  state  of  things,"  yet  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  go  with  his  state.  He  said,  "  With  all  my 
devotion  to  the  Union  ...  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  up  my  mind  to  raise  my  hand  against 
my  relatives,  my  children,  my  home."  He  was  made  commander  in  chief  of  the  Virginia  state 
forces.  In  1862  he  received  —  subject  to  the  orders  of  Jefferson  Davis  —  the  entire  com- 
mand of  "  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy."  His  management  of  the  war  showed  that  he  was  a 
man  of  great  military  ability,  and  of  entire  devotion  to  what  he  understood  to  be  his  duty. 


286       LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY  [1861 

selling  its  cotton  or  from  raising  money  in  any  way.    The  national 
government  obtained  it  in  four  ways  : 

i.  By  calling  on  the  people  of  the  North  for  many  kinds  of 
new  taxes. 

2.  By  a  war  tariff  which  increased  the  duties  collected  on  im- 
ported goods,  and  compelled  payment  of  such  duties  in  gold. 

3.  By  issuing  enormous  quantities  of  paper  money,  commonly 
called  "  greenbacks." 

4.  Finally,  and  chiefly,  by  borrowing  hundreds  of  millions  of 
dollars  both  at  home  and  abroad.  In  return  for  these  loans  the 
national  government  gave  bonds  which  promised  to  repay  the  bor- 
rowed money  in  a  certain  number  of  years,  and  to  pay  interest  on 
it  at  from  six  to  over  seven  per  cent  per  year. 

In  order  to  obtain  these  loans  more  readily,  the  government 
created  (1863)  a  great  system  of  new  banks  called  National  Banks. 
The  state  and  city  banks  then  in  existence  (§  265)  had  this  disad- 
vantage :  their  paper  money  often  would  not  pass  in  another  state 
except  at  a  loss  to  the  holder.  On  this  account  people  frequently 
could  not  tell,  when  away  from  home,  what  a  dollar  bill  was  really 
worth.  But  the  national-bank  bills  have  always  been  good  all  over 
the  United  States,  because  the  banks  which  issue  them  are  obliged 
by  law  to  deposit  government  bonds  with  the  treasurer  at  Wash- 
ington as  security.1  The  National  Banks  increased  rapidly ;  they 
are  now  the  only  ones  which  issue  paper  money. 

325.  The  Number  and  Position  of  the  Two  Armies.  President 
Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops  was  quickly  followed  by  others,  and 
the  South  likewise  strengthened  its  side.  By  the  summer  of  1861 
the  Union  forces  probably  numbered  about  180,000,  and  those 
of  the  Confederates  1 50,000.  The  former  were  under  the  direction 
of  the  veteran  General  Scott  (§  292),  and  the  latter  under  General 
Beauregard.2   The  Union  army  was  mainly  in  eastern  Virginia  and 

1  By  the  act  of  1863  (materially  changed  in  1900) ,  National  Banks  were  compelled  to  borrow 
money  from  the  national  government,  to  the  amount  of  90  per  cent  of  the  bills  they  issued,  and 
to  deposit  the  bonds  they  received  from  the  government  with  the  treasurer  at  Washington. 

2  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  ranked  above  General  Beauregard,  and  after  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run  (July  21,  1 861),  in  which  he  took  a  leading  part,  he  held  command  of  the  Confed- 
erate army  of  Virginia  until  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  May  31,  1862, 
when  General  Lee  took  command. 


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1861]  THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN  287 

Maryland.  It  extended  along  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  from  Har- 
pers Ferry  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  thence  southward  to 
Fort  Monroe.  The  Confederate  army  held  the  country  south  of  the 
Potomac,   with  Richmond  as  its  fortified  center.    (Map,  p.  286.) 

In  Missouri  the  national  troops,  under  General  Lyon,  Fremont,1 
and  Halleck,  got  control  of  that  state,  while  General  McClellan 
drove  the  Confederates  from  West  Virginia.  In  the  southwest 
the  Confederates  had  got  possession  of  the  Mississippi  from  New 
Orleans  to  Columbus,  Kentucky,  by  building  forts  on  the  banks  of 
the  river.  They  were  preparing  to  do  the  same  on  the  Tennessee 
and  Cumberland  rivers,  and  they  hoped  to  get  the  entire  control 
of  Kentucky  besides. 

326.  The  Battle  of  Bull  Run.  The  cry  at  the  South  was,  "  On 
to  Washington  !  "  It  was  answered  by  the  cry  of  the  North,  "  On  to 
Richmond !  "  Beauregard  had  taken  up  his  position  at  Manassas 
Junction  on  a  small  stream  called  Bull  Run.  There  he  could  both 
protect  the  Confederate  capital  and  threaten  Washington.  He  had 
an  army  of  about  30,000.  General  McDowell,  in  command,  in 
the  field,  of  the  Union  forces,  had  about  the  same  number.2  One 
army,  as  President  Lincoln  said,  was  as  "  green  "  as  the  other. 
McDowell  advanced,  not  because  he  was  ready,  but  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  North  was  tired  of  waiting  and  was  impatient  to 
strike  a  decisive  blow. 

The  battle  began  on  a  sweltering  hot  Sunday  in  July  (July  2 1 , 
1 861).  At  first  the  Union  troops  drove  the  Confederates  from 
their  position.    General  Bee,  one  of  the  Southern  leaders,  rushing 

1  General  Fremont  was  born  at  Savannah  in  1813.  Under  the  authority  of  the  govern- 
ment he  began  the  exploration  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  of  an  overland  route  to  the 
Pacific  in  1842-1844.  In  1845  he  set  out  on  another  exploring  expedition  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  After  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  War  he,  with  the  assistance  of  American  settlers 
in  California,  freed  that  territory  from  the  authority  of  Mexico,  and  in  the  summer  of  1846 
he  was  appointed  governor  of  the  territory.  The  treaty  of  peace  (1848)  secured  California  to 
the  United  States.  In  1856  Fremont  was  nominated  to  the  presidency  (as  the  Anti-slavery 
candidate)  by  the  Republican  party.  From  1878  to  1881  he  was  governor  of  Arizona.  In  the 
summer  of  186 1  Fremont  issued  a  proclamation  emancipating  the  slaves  of  all  persons  in 
Missouri  who  were  in  arms  against'  the  Union  ;  but  President  Lincoln  refused  to  approve  it. 

2  In  the  Civil  War  the  Confederates  counted  in  battle  only  those  of  their  men  who  were 
present  and  able  to  fight ;  but  the  Union  officers,  on  the  contrary,  counted  all  as  present 
whose  names  were  on  their  army  rolls.  See  General  Grant's  "  Personal  Memoirs,"  II,  290, 
and  "  The  Century  Company's  War  Book,"  I,  485. 


288       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1861 


Chambersbur 

N    N     S 


up  to  General  Jackson,  cried  out,  "  General,  they  are  beating  us 
back  !  "  "  We  will  give  them  the  bayonet,"  said  Jackson,  quietly. 
Rallying  his  men,  Bee  shouted,  "  Look  !  there  is  Jackson  standing 
like  a  stone  wall !  "  It  was  true  ;  and  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson,1  as  the 
Confederate  general  was  ever  after  called,  used  "the  bayonet"  to 
check  the  Union  advance.  Then  the  Southerners  held  their  ground 
until  heavy  reinforcements  came  up,  by  rail,  from  the  Shenandoah 

valley,  and  drove  the 
Union  troops  from  the 
hard-fought  field.  As 
the  Confederate  Gen- 
eral J  .E.  Johnston  says : 
"The  Northern  army 
fought  under  the  great 
disadvantage  of  hav- 
ing to  make  the  attack. 
They  fled  back  to  Wash- 
ington in  confusion." 

327.  Results  of  the 
Defeat  at  Bull  Run. 
Some  failures  are  step- 
ping-stones to  success. 
The  defeat  at  Bull  Run 
was  such  a  case.  In- 
stead of  discouraging 
the  people  of  the  North, 
it  roused  them  to  new 
and  greater  effort.  At  the  very  time  the  defeated  and  disheartened 
Union  soldiers  were  pouring  over  the  Long  Bridge  across  the 
Potomac  into  Washington,  Congress  voted  to  raise  500,000  men 
and  $500,000,000  to  carry  on  the  war. 

1  General  T.  J.  Jackson  of  Virginia,  born  1824;  died  1863.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  who  fought  on  the  side  of  the  South.  His  motto  was,  a  Do  your  duty,  and 
leave  the  rest  to  Providence."  His  death  was  the  heaviest  personal  loss,  except  perhaps  that 
of  General  A.  S.  Johnston  (§  332),  which  the  South  sustained  during  the  war.  Lee  called 
"  Stonewall "  Jackson  his  w  right  arm  " ;  in  his  department  he  ranked  as  one  of  the  ablest 
generals  in  the  Confederacy,  and  was  respected  alike  by  those  who  fought  under  him  and 
those  who  fought  against  him 


1861]  UNION  PLAN  OF   THE  WAR  289 

The  cry  of  the  North  was  now,  "  Drill  and  organize  !  "  General 
McClellan  came  from  West  Virginia  (§  325)  to  take  command  of 
the  army.  He  taught  the  men  the  great  lesson,  that  enthusiasm 
without  military  organization  is  of  no  more  use  than  steam  without 
an  engine.  For  the  next  six  months  and  more  "  all  was  quiet  on 
the  Potomac";1  that  quiet,  however,  meant  that  both  sides  were 
getting  ready  to  fight  in  terrible  earnest. 

328.  Union  Plan  of  the  War.  Gradually  a  plan  for  the  war  in 
defense  of  the  Union  took  shape  ;  it  was  this  : 

1 .  To  station  vessels  of  war  in  front  of  all  Southern  ports  (Map, 
p.  286),  and  thus  cut  off  the  South  from  getting  supplies  from 
abroad  for  carrying  on  the  contest.  This  blockade  by  the  Union 
navy  was  of  immense  help,  and  without  it  the  contest  might  have 
dragged  on  for  many  years  longer  than  it  did. 

2.  To  attack  and  take  Richmond. 

3.  To  open  the  lower  Mississippi,  with  the  Tennessee  and  the 
Cumberland,  which  the  Confederate  forts  had  closed  to  navigation. 

4.  To  break  through  the  Confederate  line  in  the  West,  march 
an  army  to  the  Atlantic,  and  thence  northward  to  Virginia. 

329.  Blockade  Runners;  Confederate  War  Vessels;  Seizure  of 
Mason  and  Slidell.  While  the  Union  forces  were  getting  pos- 
session of  Fort  Hatteras,  Port  Royal,  and  other  points  on  the 
coast  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  fast  Southern  vessels  ran  the 
gantlet  of  the  blockade  to  obtain  arms  and  ammunition ;  further- 
more, British  steamers,  specially  built  for  the  work,  often  succeeded 
in  evading  the  Union  cruisers  and  in  bringing  supplies  for  the 
Confederates.  Jefferson  Davis  had  no  navy,  but  he  succeeded  in 
buying  or  building  a  number  of  war  vessels  in  Great  Britain,  which 
in  time  destroyed  so  many  merchant  ships  owned  in  the  North 
that  unarmed  vessels  no  longer  dared  to  carry  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
Later,  the  Alabama,  built  in  England,  was  added  to  the  Confed- 
erate fleet  and  inflicted  immense  damage  on  Union  commerce,  for 
which  at  the  end  of  the  war  England  had  to  pay  roundly  (§  374). 

1  On  October  21,  1861,  a  body  of  Union  troops,  2000  strong,  was  beaten  by  a  large 
force  of  Confederates  at  Ball's  Bluff  on  the  Potomac,  and  on  August  10  of  the  same  year 
General  Lyon  was  defeated  and  killed  at  the  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  Missouri. 


290       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1861 


Early  in  November  (1861)  the  Confederacy  undertook  to  send 
two  commissioners  or  agents  —  Mason  and  Slidell  —  to  Europe 
to  get  aid  for  the  Southern  cause  and  also  to  endeavor  to  per- 
suade England  and  France  to  acknowledge  the  independence  of 
the  Confederate  States.  a-/C^   v*-^  y«* •«*■*»*  C 

Captain  Wilkes  of  the  United  States  navy  stopped  the  British 
mail  steamer  Trent,  on  which  Mason  and  Slidell  had  embarked 
for  England,   and   took  them  both   prisoners.     England  at  once 


Running  the  Blockade,  —  Union  Cruiser  in  Pursuit 

demanded  that  the  national  government  should  give  them  up. 
The  North  protested,  but  President  Lincoln  said  :  "  We  fought 
Great  Britain  in  1812  for  doing  just  what  Captain  Wilkes  has 
done.  We  must  give  up  the  prisoners  to  EnglancT."  It  was  done, 
but  Mason  and  Slidell  never  succeeded  in  accomplishing  anything 
of  importance  for  the  Confederacy. 

330.  The  Merrimac  destroys  the  Cumberland  and  the  Congress; 
the  Monitor.  At  the  beginning  of  the  great  struggle  the  Con- 
federates  seized  the   navy  yard   at   Norfolk,   Virginia,   and   got 


THE  "MONITOR"  AND  THE  "  MERRIMAC 


291 


possession  of  the  United  States  ship  of  war  Merrimac.  They 
plated  the  vessel  with  railway  iron  and  sent  her  out  to  destroy  the 
Union  war  vessels  at  the  mouth  of  the  James  River  off  Fort 
Monroe.  (Map,  p.  288.)  The  Union  ships  were  of  wood,  and 
the  balls  from  their  guns  could  no  more  penetrate  the  iron  shell 
of  the  monster  which  now  attacked  them  than  a  sparrow's  bill 
could  penetrate  the  back  of  an  alligator.  The  Merrimac  sunk 
the  Cumberland,  which  carried  down  with  her  many  sick  and 
wounded  men  ; 1  she  then  destroyed  the  Congress.  The  next  day 
(Sunday,  March  9,  1862)  the  Merrimac  returned  to  complete 
the  destruction  of  the  fleet;  suddenly  a  strange  little  craft  ap- 
peared, looking  like  a  "cheese  box  on  a  raft."  This  was  the 
Monitor?  a  new  Union 
war  vessel  built  of  iron 
and  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Worden. 
The  Merrimac  now 
found  that  she  had  got 
her  match.  After  a 
terrific  battle  the  Con- 
federate vessel  hur- 
ried back  to  Norfolk. 

Lieutenant  Worden's  "  Little  Giant"  had  won  the  day.  If  the 
Merrimac  had  gained  the  victory,  she  might  next  have  gone  up 
the  Potomac  and  destroyed  the  national  capital.  In  that  case 
European  nations  might  have  acknowledged  the  independence  of 
the  South,  and  demanded  that  the  blockade  be  raised  and  the  ports 
of  the  Confederacy  thrown  open  to  the  commerce  of  the  world. 
The  United  States  now  built  more  monitors,  and  by  the  end  of 
the  year  had  a  fleet  of  several  hundred  effective  war  vessels  of 
different  kinds,  both  on  the  ocean  and  on  the  western  rivers. 

1  See  Longfellow's  poem  on  the  loss  of  the  Cumberland. 

2  The  Monitor  was  built  by  Captain  Ericsson,  the  inventor  of  the  screw  propeller  for 
steamships,  and  of  the  hot-air  engine.  She  was  an  iron  vessel  of  small  size,  sitting  so  low 
in  the  water  that  scarcely  anything  of  her  hull  was  visible.  In  the  center  of  her  deck  stood 
a  revolving  iron  turret,  which  carried  two  cannon,  sending  sojid  shot  weighing  one  hundred 
and  sixty-six  pounds.  The  success  of  the  Monitor  stimulated  the  construction  of  iron  or  steel 
war  vessels  throughout  the  world.   Eventually  they  entirely  superseded  wooden  ships  of  war. 


The  "  Monitor  "  and  the  "  Merrimac 


292       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1862 


331.  The  War  in  the  West;  Capture  of  Fort  Henry  and  Fort 
Donelson.  At  the  West  the  line  of  the  Confederate  army,  under 
General  A.  S.  Johnston,  stretched  from  Mill  Spring  and  Bowling 
Green,  in  Kentucky,  through  Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland 
and  Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee,  to  Columbus  on  the  Missis- 
sippi. (Map,  below.)  General  Halleck,1  in  command  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  Union  forces  of  the  West,  resolved  to  break  that  line, 
to  enter  the  cotton  states,  and  also  to  open  the  Mississippi.    In 


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SCALE  OF  MH-ES 


January  (1862),  General  Thomas  gained  a  victory  at  Mill  Spring 
and  drove  the  Confederates  out  of  eastern  Kentucky.  Then  General 
Halleck  ordered  General  U.  S.  Grant2  to  start  from  Cairo,  Illinois, 

1  General  Halleck  was  born  near  Utica,  New  York,  1815;  died,  1872.  He  graduated  at 
West  Point  and  served  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  was  appointed  a  major  general  of  the 
United  States  army  in  August,  1861.  He  received  command  of  the  department  of  Missouri 
(with  other  states)  in  November,  and  of  the  department  of  the  Mississippi  in  March,  1862. 
From  July  11,  1862,  to  March,  1864,  he  was  general  in  chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,  and  had  his  headquarters  at  Washington. 

2  General  U.  S.  Grant  was  born  in  Ohio,  1822  ;  died  in  New  York,  1885.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  West  Point,  and  served  in  the  Mexican  War  (§  293),  where  he  was  promoted  for  meri- 
torious conduct  in  battle.  In  1859  ne  entered  the  leather  and  saddlery  business  with  his 
father  at  Galena,  Illinois.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  raised  a  company  of 
Union  volunteers,  and  in  August,  1 861,  he  was  made  a  brigadier  general,  and  took  command 
of  the  department  of  Cairo.    His  subsequent  career  will  be  traced  in  the  pages  of  this  history. 


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294       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1862 

and  attack  Fort  Henry  ;  but  Commodore  Foote  got  there  first  with 
his  gunboats  and  took  it  (February  6,  1862).  Grant  then  moved 
on  Fort  Donelson.  The  battle  raged  for  three  days  in  succession ; 
then  the  Confederate  General  Buckner  asked  Grant  what  terms 
he  would  grant  him  if  he  gave  up  the  fort.  Grant  wrote  back, 
"No  terms  except  an  unconditional  ajid  immediate  surrender  can 
be  accepted!'1  The  Confederates  were  forced  to  agree  to  Grant's 
conditions,  and  the  first  great  Union  victory  of  the  war  was  won 
(February  16,  1862).  Grant  captured  15,000  prisoners  —  "the 
greatest  number  ever  taken  in  any  battle  (up  to  that  time)  on  this 
continent "  —  and  also  large  quantities  of  arms.  Columbus  was 
now  of  no  use  to  the  Confederates  and  they  abandoned  it.  The 
surrender  of  Nashville  followed,  and  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  Union  forces. 

332.  Battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Island  Number  Ten. 
Grant,  with  his  victorious  army,  then  moved  up  the  Tennessee 
River  to  Pittsburg  Landing,  or  Shiloh.  Here  (April  6,  1862)  he 
was  attacked  by  General  A.  S.  Johnston  and  driven  back.  The 
night  after  the  battle  General  Buell  brought  a  large  force  of 
Union  troops.  (Map,  p.  292.)  The  Union  men  now  outnumbered 
the  Confederates  by  17,000,  and  the  next  day  Grant  gained  his 
second  great  victory.  In  his  official  report  he  said,  "lam  indebted  to 
General  Sherman  for  the  success  of  that  battle."  On  that  hotly  con- 
tested field  25,000  men  had  fallen  dead  or  wounded  ;2  among  them 
was  General  A.  S.  Johnston,  one  of  the  South's  noblest  men.3  On 
the  following  day  (April  8, 1862)  the  Confederates  on  Island  Number 
Ten,  in  the  Mississippi  (Map,  p.  292),  surrendered  to  Commodore 
Foote,  after  nearly  a  month's  obstinate  fighting.  That  victory  was  of 
immense  importance,  for  it  opened  the  river  to  the  Union  vessels 
down  to  Vicksburg,  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred  miles. 

333.  General  Summary  of  the  First  Year  of  the  War  (April, 
1861-April,  1862).    The  Civil  War  began  (April  12,  1861)  with  the 

1  Hence  the  name  sometimes  given  General  Grant  of  "  Unconditional  Surrender  Grant." 
See  copy  of  General  Grant's  letter  to  General  Buckner  on  page  293. 

2  Union  force,  57,000;  Confederate,  40,000.    Union  loss,  14,000;  Confederate,  11,000. 

8  After  he  was  wounded,  General  Johnston  sent  his  surgeon  to  attend  to  some  wounded 
Union  prisoners ;  while  he  was  gone  Johnston  bled  to  death. 


1862]  EXPEDITION  AGAINST  NEW  ORLEANS  295 

Confederate  attack  on  Fort  Sumter.  After  the  surrender  of  that 
fort,  the  first  great  battle  was  fought  in  the  summer  at  Bull  Run, 
and  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  Union  army.  The  next  spring 
(1862)  the  battle  between  the  Merrimac  and  Monitor  occurred,  and 
the  Merrimac  was  forced  to  retreat.  During  the  year  the  Union 
forces  in  the  West  gained  the  important  victories  of  Fort  Henry, 
Fort  Donelson,  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  Island  Number  Ten.  The 
general  result  of  the  year's  war  was  decidedly  favorable  to  the 
cause  of  the  Union,  especially  in  the  West.  ^s, 

SO 

Second  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1862— April,  1863) 

334.  Expedition  against  New  Orleans;  how  the  City  was  de- 
fended. Very  early  in  the  spring  (1862)  an  expedition  under 
Captain  Farragut1  and  General  Butler  sailed  from  Fort  Monroe 
to  attack  New  Orleans,  the  most  important  city  and  port  in  the 
possession  of  the  Confederate  government.  The  approach  to  New 
Orleans  was  defended  by  two  strong  forts  on  the  Mississippi, 
about  seventy-five  miles  below  the  city.2  These  forts  were  nearly 
opposite  each  other,  so  that  any  vessels  trying  to  pass  between 
them  would  be  exposed  to  a  tremendous  cross  fire  from  their 
guns.  Just  below  the  forts  the  Confederates  had  stretched  two 
heavy  chain  cables,  on  hulks,  across  the  river  to  check  any  Union 
war  ships  that  might  attempt  to  come  up,  while  above  the  forts  they 
had  stationed  fifteen  armed  vessels  —  two  of  them  ironclads  like 
the  Merrimac  (§  330).    With  these  defenses  the  city  defied  attack. 

Captain  Farragut  had  a  fleet  of  nearly  fifty  wooden  vessels.  It 
was  considered  to  be  the  most  powerful  "  that  had  ever  sailed  under 

1  Admiral  David  G.  Farragut,  born  in  Tennessee  in  1801 ;  died,  1870.  He  entered  the 
navy  in  1812.  In  1841  he  was  made  commander,  ard  later  captain.  In  1862,  after  his  famous 
victory  at  New  Orleans,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  rear  admiral,  then  (1864)  to  that 
of  vice  admiral,  and  in  1866  to  that  of  admiral,  the  highest  position  in  the  United  States 
navy;  the  last  two  grades  were  created  for  him.  From  1823  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War,  Farragut's  home,  when  on  shore,  was  at  Norfolk,  Virginia.  He  insisted  that  Virginia 
had  been  forced  to  secede  against  the  will  of  the  majority  of  the  people  of  the  state.  From 
1861  to  the  close  of  his  life  his  home  was  at  Hastings-on-the-Hudson. 

2  New  Orleans  is  about  one  hundred  and  five  miles  from  the  sea.  In  the  War  of  1812 
a  single  fort,  at  one  of  the  points  where  those  two  Confederate  forts  stood,  checked  the 
advance  of  the  British  fleet  for  nine  days. 


296       LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1862 

the  American  flag."  General  Butler  followed  him  to  take  com- 
mand of  a  force  of  1 5,000  men,  to  hold  the  city  after  its  surrender. 
Farragut's  work,  with  the  aid  of  Commander  Porter's  mortar  boats, 1 
was  to  silence  the  forts,  break  through  the  chains,  conquer  the  Con- 
federate fleet,  and  take  the  city.  One  of  the  men  who  took  part 
in  that  work  was  Lieutenant  George  Dewey,  now  Admiral  Dewey, 
—  the  "Hero  of  Manila"  (§415). 

335.  Bombardment  of  the  Forts;  Farragut  passes  them  and 
destroys  the  Opposing  Fleet ;  Capture  of  New  Orleans.  For  six 
days  and  nights  Commander  Porter  hammered  away  at  the  forts, 
and  the  forts  hammered  back.  The  discharge  of  artillery  was 
deafening,  and  the  shock  so  severe  that  it  killed  birds  and  fishes. 
It  even  broke  glass  in  windows  at  Balize,  thirty  miles  away.2 
Porter's  men  were  completely  exhausted  by  their  labors  at  the  guns, 
and  the  moment  they  were  off  duty  they  would  drop  down  on  the 
deck  and  fall  fast  asleep,  amid  the  continuous  roar  of  the  battle. 

Finally,  Captain  Farragut  determined  to  make  an  attempt  to 
cut  through  the  chains  and  run  past  the  forts.  He  succeeded  in 
doing  this,  and,  after  a  terrific  combat,  destroyed  the  Confederate 
fleet  and  reached  New  Orleans. 

The  river  front  of  the  city,  for  a  distance  of  five  miles,  was  all 
ablaze  with  burning  ships,  steamboats,  and  bales  of  cotton.  The 
Confederates  had  set  them  on  fire  to  prevent  the  Union  forces 
from  seizing  them.  A  party  of  Farragut's  men  landed,  speedily 
hauled  down  the  Stars  and  Bars  from  the  public  buildings,  and 
hoisted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  their  place  (April  25,  1862).  Not 
long  after  this,  Farragut  was  honored  with  the  title  of  Rear  Admiral. 

Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg  were  now  the  only  important  forti- 
fied points  on  the  Mississippi  still  held  by  the  Confederates.  If 
the  Union  forces  could  take  them,  the  great  river  of  the  West 

1  Mortar  boats  :  vessels  for  carrying  mortars,  —  short  and  very  wide-mouthed  cannon  for 
firing  shells.  The  shells  used  here  were  hollow  cast-iron  balls  of  great  size,  weighing  nearly 
three  hundred  pounds.  They  were  filled  With  powder,  and  so  constructed  that  when  they 
fell  they  would  explode  with  tremendous  violence.  The  shells  made  a  peculiar  screaming^ 
hissing  noise  as  they  flew  through  the  air,  accompanied  by  a  train  of  smoke  by  day  and  of 
fire  by  night.  When  one  buried  itself  in  the  earth  inside  of  one  of  the  forts  and  then  ex- 
ploded, the  result  was  like  that  of  a  small  earthquake. 

2  See  Draper's  "The  American  Civil  War,"  II,  331. 


THE  WAR  IN  VIRGINIA 


297 


would  once  more  be  open  from  its  source  to  the  sea.  But  both 
Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg  stood  on  immensely  high  bluffs,  out 
of  the  reach  of  the  guns  of  the  war  vessels,  so  that  it  would  be 
exceedingly  difficult  to  capture  them  by  an  attack  from  the  river. 
For  this  reason  it  was  decided  to  let  them  alone  until  a  land  force 
could  be  sent  to  join  in  the  attack. 

Meanwhile,  the  Union  navy  had  captured  several  important 
points  on  the  coast  of  North  and  South  Carolina. 

336.  The  War  in  Virginia;  McClelland  Advance  on  Richmond; 
the  Peninsular  Campaign;  the  Weather.  Before  Farragut  had 
taken  New  Orleans,  General 
McClellan  with  100,000  men 
began  an  advance  on  Rich- 
mond from  Fort  Monroe. 
His  plan  was  to  move  up 
the  Peninsula  —  as  the  Vir- 
ginians call  the  long  and 
rather  narrow  strip  of  land 
between  the  James  and  York 
rivers.  (Map,  p.  288.)  The 
Confederates  did  everything 
in  their  power  to  check  his 
advance  at  Yorktown  and 
Williamsburg,  and  later  at 
Seven  Pines  or  Fair  Oaks. 

Meanwhile,  heavy  rains 
compelled  McClellan's  army  to  wade,  rather  than  march  forward, 
through  mud  and  water.  To  increase  his  difficulties  the  Chicka- 
hominy  River  overflowed  its  banks.  -(Map,  above.)  Part  of  his 
army  was  on  one  side  of  it  and  part  on  the  other.  For  weeks  they 
struggled  in  a  swamp,  building  roads  and  bridges,  and  fighting 
the  weather  rather  than  the  enemy.  In  this  way  McClellan  lost 
an  immense  number  of  his  men  by  sickness. 

337-  "  Stonewall  "  Tackson^sjg^id :  Stuart's  Raid;  Results  of 
the  Peninsular  Campaign.  Early  in  June  (1862)  General  Lee 
(§  3 2 3)  took  command  of  the   Confederate  forces  shortly  after 


298       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1862 

"  Stonewall "  Jackson  (§  326)  had  started  to  drive  General  Banks' 
Union  army  out  of  the  Shenandoah  valley,1  in  West  Virginia,  and 
make  the  authorities  in  Washington  think  that  the  capital  was 
in  danger  of  immediate  attack.  With  his  17,000  men  Jackson 
made  Banks'  9000  beat  a  hasty  retreat  to  the  Potomac ;  and  he 
effectually  prevented  McClellan  from  getting  any  help  from  the 
40,000  Union  troops  at  Fredericksburg.  Then  Lee  sent  General 
Stuart  with  a  dashing  body  of  cavalry  to  see  what  mischief  he 
could  do.  Stuart  rode  clear  round  McClellan's  army,  tore  up  the 
railways,  burned  car  loads  of  provisions,  and  made  matters  very 
uncomfortable  for  the  Union  general. 

From  June  25  to  July  1  (1862),  Lee  and  McClellan  were  en- 
gaged in  a  number  of  desperate  fights  around  Richmond,  known 
as  the  "Seven  Days'  Battles";2  Lee  captured  many  guns  and 
prisoners  ;  the  Union  forces  retreated  to  the  James  River,  and  the 
government  at  Washington  recalled  McClellan  and  his  army  to 
the  neighborhood  of  the  national  capital.  In  these  last  battles 
over  15,000  men  had  been  lost  on  each  side.  The  Union  army 
had  accomplished  nothing  decisive,  though  it  had  been  within 
sight  of  the  spires  of  the  Confederate  capital,  and  of  the  wooden 
or  "  Quaker  guns  "  which  helped  to  guard  it.3  Once  the  alarm 
there  was  so  great  that  a  niece  of  Jefferson  Davis  wrote  to  a  friend, 
"  Uncle  Jeff  thinks  we  had  better  go  to  a  safer  place  than  Rich- 
mond." On  the  other  hand,  President  Lincoln  called  for  addi- 
tional volunteers  ;  and  new  forces,  shouting,  "  We  are  coming, 
Father  Abraham,  three  hundred  thousand  more,"  began  to  go 
forward  to  the  aid  of  the  government. 

338.  The  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run ;  Lee's  Advance  across  the 
Potomac;  Battle  of  Antietam.    Near  the  last  of  August  (1862), 

1  General  Joseph  E.Johnston  had  been  in  command  since  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  July,  1861. 
He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  May  31,  1862,  and  Lee  then  took  command. 

2  In  the  last  of  these  battles,  that  at  Malvern  Hill,  Lee's  forces  were  driven  back  with 
heavy  loss.  During  the  Penirfsular  campaign  the  armies  of  Fr6mont,  Banks,  and  McDowell 
were  united  under  the  name  of  the  Army  of  Virginia,  and  the  command  of  this  force  was 
given  to  General  Pope,  who  had  been  successful  in  the  WTest. 

8  One  of  the  humorous  features  of  the  war  was  the  use  of  wooden  cannon  by  the  Con- 
federates in  their  fortifications  at  Manassas,  Richmond,  and  elsewhere.  It  was  some  time 
before  the  Union  army  found  out  this  clever  trick  of  the  "  Quaker  guns,"  which,  as  a  "  con- 
traband "  said,  were  "  just  as  good  to  scare  with  as  any  others." 


General  Lee 


299 


300       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1862 

Lee  advanced  his  forces  against  General  Pope,  who  had  been  given 
command  of  the  Army  of  Virginia,  and  met  him  in  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run.  "  Stonewall "  Jackson  did  the  heaviest  of  the 
fighting.  Pope  was  defeated,  but  fell  back  in  good  order  to 
Washington  and  resigned  his  command. 

Not  long  after,  Lee  crossed  the  Potomac  above  Washington,  his 
men  singing  exultingly,  "  Maryland,  my  Maryland."  Lee  believed 
that  thousands  of  the  Maryland  people  would  welcome  him  as 
their  deliverer,  and  would  join  him  in  a  march  against  Philadelphia. 
In  this  he  was  sorely  mistaken.  In  the  middle  of  September 
"  Stonewall "  Jackson  captured  Harpers  Ferry,  and  thus  obtained 
a  quantity  of  arms  and  some  provisions.  McClellan  now  advanced 
to  meet  Lee.  At  Antietam  Creek  (or  Sharpsburg)  (Map,  p.  288) 
one  of  the  bloodiesFDmt!es^rSe~war  was  fought  (September  1 7, 
1862) ;  and  the  bodies  of  the  "  boys  in  blue  "  and  of  the  "  boys  in 
gray  "  lay  in  ranks  like  swaths  of  grass  cut  by  the  scythe.1  After 
the  terrible  contest  Lee  retreated  across  the  Potomac.  McClellan 
followed,  but  he  moved  so  slowly  that  the  government  took  the 
command  of  the  army  from  him  and  gave  it  to  General  Burnside. 

339.  Battles  of  Fredericksburg  and  Murfreesboro.  General 
Burnside  set  out  to  march  on  Richmond,  but  found  the  Confeder- 
ates strongly  fortified  2  on  the  hills  around  Fredericksburg,  on  the 
Rappahannock.  (Map,  p.  288.)  In  the  battle  which  ensued  (Decem- 
ber 13,  1862)  he  was  defeated  and  forced  to  fall  back  toward 
Washington.  General  Hooker,  or  "  Fighting  Joe  Hooker"  as  his 
men  called  him,  then  took  command  of  Burnside's  army. 

This  was  the  last  battle  of  the  year  in  the  East.  In  the  West 
the  Union  forces  had  gained  a  victory  at  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas, 
and  had  taken  Corinth,  Mississippi ;  the  Confederates  attempted 
to  retake  it,  but  were  driven  back  with  frightful  loss.  Bragg  in- 
vaded Kentucky ;  Buell  fought  him  at  Perryville,  and  Bragg  fled 

1  Union  forces  actually  engaged  at  Antietam  were  estimated  at  about  60,000.  McClellan's 
available  strength  was  probably  double  that  of  Lee's.  Confederate  forces,  40,000.  See  "  The 
Century  Company's  War  Book,"  II,  603.  Loss  nearly  12,000  on  each  side.  Authorities  differ 
about  the  strength  of  the  two  armies.  "  Loss  "  in  all  cases  is  understood  to  include  wounded, 
as  well  as  killed. 

2  Burnside  had  about  1 16,000  men ;  Lee  had  nearly  80,000  strongly  entrenched  on  and 
near  the  hills.    Burnside  lost  12,000  men,  and  Lee  not  quite  half  that  number. 


1863]  PROCLAMATION  OF  EMANCIPATION  30 1 

with  his  plunder  and  took  shelter  behind  the  Cumberland  Moun- 
tains. Grant  and  Sherman  then  moved  against  Vicksburg,  but 
the  Confederate  cavalry  cut  off  Grant's  supplies  and  Sherman  was 
repulsed.  Next,  General  Rosecrans  moved  against  Bragg.  He  met 
the  Confederate  general  at  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee  (December  31, 
1862).  (Map,  p.  292.)  EacTTTiSraBBf40,ooo  men.  The  contest 
raged  for  three  days.  Rosecrans  said,  "  The  battle  must  be  won." 
The  Union  forces  held  their  ground,1  and  Bragg  retreated  in 
the  night. 

340.  President  Lincoln's  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  1863; 
its  Results ;  the  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution.  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  had  entered  office  resolved,  as  he  then  said,  not  to 
interfere  with  slavery  (§  319).  But  the  progress  of  the  contest 
convinced  him  that  slavery  was  the  real  cause  and  the  main 
strength  of  the  war  against  the  Union.  He  saw  that  he  must 
strike  slavery  a  decided  blow. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1863,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation, 
freeing  all  the  black  men  in  those  states  of  the  South  which  were 
still  at  war  against  the  Union.  Thus  by  a  single  stroke  of  the  pen 
the  government  gave  over  three  millions  of  human  beings  that 
most  precious  yet  most  perilous  of  all  rights  —  the  ownership  of 
themselves. 

No  greater  event  is  recorded  in  the  pages  of  American  history. 
After  the  expiration  of  nearly  a  hundred  years  the  nation  at  last 
included  the  negro  in  that  Declaration  of  Independence,  which 
declares  that  "all  men  are  created  equal," — that  is,  with  equal 
natural  rights  to  "  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 

Many  thousands  of  these  "  freedmen  "  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  ;  but  the  greater  part  remained  quietly  at  work  on  the  South- 
ern plantations.  The  freedom  of  the  whole  body  of  slaves  in  the 
country  was  not  secured  until  after  the  close  of  the  war.  Then 
the  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  (1865)  declared 
that  slavery  should  no  longer  exist  in  the  United  States.2  From 
an  industrial  point  of  view,  that  final  act  of  emancipation  has 

1  Union  loss,  14,000;  Confederate,  11,000. 

2  See  the  Constitution  —  Amendments,  Article  XIII. 


302       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


proved  to  be  as  much  an  advantage  to  the  white  race  as  to  the 
negroes  themselves.  Free  labor  has  brought  a  greater  degree  of 
prosperity  than  slave  labor  ever  did.  Now  that  the  South  is  no 
longer  hampered  by  having  to  hold  the  negroes  in  bondage,  it  has 
found  its  real  strength  and  its  true  and  lasting  prosperity. 

341.  Summary  of  the  Second  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1862- 
April,  1863).  The  one  great  military  success  of  the  year  on  the 
part  of  the  Union  forces  was  the  taking  of  New  Orleans.  In  the 
East,  if  McClellan  and  his  successors  failed  to  reach  Richmond, 
Lee,  on  the  other  hand,  failed  just  as  completely  and  far  more 
disastrously  in  his  attempted  invasion  of  the  North.  The  Procla- 
mation of  Emancipation  gave  the  war  a  new  character.  Up  to  this 
time  the  North  had  been  fighting  simply  to  restore  the  Union  as 
it  was  before  the  South  seceded ;  but  now  it  fought  to  restore  the 
Union  without  slavery,  — to  make  the  nation  wholly  free. 

Third  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1863— April,  1864) 

342.  The  War  in  the  East ;  Battle  of  Chancellor sville.    In  the 

spring  (1863)  General  Hooker  crossed  the  Rapidan,  intending 
to  advance  on  Richmond.  But  he  had 
no  sooner  started  than  General  Lee,  with 
"Stonewall"  Jackson  (§  326),  met  him  at 
Chancellorsville.1  (Map,  p.  288.)  Here  a 
two  days'  battle  was  fought  (May  2-3,1863). 
At  a  critical  moment  General  Hooker  was 
stunned  by  a  cannon  ball  and  lay  senseless 
for  many  hours.  During  all  that  time  his 
army  was  "  without  a  head." 

Lee,  with  "  Stonewall "  Jackson's  help, 
not  only  won  the  battle,  but  drove  the 
Union  forces  back  across  the  river.  Still  it  was  a  dearly  bought 
triumph  for  the  Confederates,  for  "  Stonewall  "  fell.    If  we  except 


Stonewall  "  Jackson 


1  Union  forces  in  the  battle,  130,000  ;  Confederate,  60,000.  But  see  note  2  on  page  287, 
on  estimates  of  combatants.  Union  loss,  17,000;  Confederate,  about  12,000.  General  Lee 
gave  Jackson  all  the  credit  of  the  victory. 


REDUCED  COPY  OF  A  PART  OF  THE  EMANCIPATION  PROCLAMATION! 

January  i,  1863 


^/{w^tLayhJ  CtOhA^-& 


iLcaAjJ&iy,  fiff&ta^L 


1  President  Lincoln  issued  a  preliminary  proclamation  of  emancipation  on  September  22, 
1862,  giving  one  hundred  days  warning  to  the  South.  In  case  any  state  chose  to  return  to  the 
Union  within  that  time  its  slaves  were  not  to  be  set  at  liberty  by  the  final  proclamation. 

The  President  said :  "  My  paramount  object  in  this  struggle  is  to  save  the  Union,  and  is 
not  either  to  save  or  to  destroy  slavery.  If  I  could  save  the  Union  without  freeing  any  slave, 
I  would  do  it ;  and  if  I  could  save  it  by  freeing  all  the  slaves,  I  would  do  it ;  and  if  I  could 
save  it  by  freeing  some  and  leaving  others  alone,  I  would  also  do  that."  —  Letter  to  Horace 
Greeley,  August  22,  1862. 


303 


304      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1863 


the  loss  of  General  A.  S.  Johnston  (§  332),  the  death  of  Jackson 
was  the  heaviest  blow,  of  the  kind,  which  the  South  suffered 
during  the  war.  Chancellorsville  was  the 
last  victory  gained  by  the  Confederates  in 
Virginia  in  the  M  open  country."  The  com- 
mand of  the  Union  army  was  now  given  to 
General  Meade. 

343.  Battle  of  Gettysburg.  A  month  after 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Lee  made  a 
second  (§338)  attempt  to  enter  the  free 
states  and  conquer  a  peace.  He  moved  down 
the  Shenandoah  valley  with  about  70,000 
men,  crossed  the  Potomac  in  June  (1863), 
and  moved  into  Pennsylvania,  intending  to 
strike  Harrisburg,  the  capital  of  the  state,  and  then,  if  successful, 
to  march  on  Philadelphia.    General  Meade,  with  a  Union  force  of 


Map  of  Gettysburg 


'v  4  ■'<&■■    ■■---  vf  ,f 


The  High-Water-Mark  Monument 

Erected  at  the  "  clump  of  trees"  on  the  battlefield  of  Gettysburg,  1892 

This  monument  was  erected  to  commemorate  the  defeat,  by  the  Union  troops,  of  the 

famous  charge  of  the  Confederate  column  led  by  General  Pickett.    It  consists  of 

a  large  open  bronze  book  which  bears  the  inscription:  "High-Water  Mark 

of  tJie  Rebellion."  The  book  gives  the  names  of  the  Confederate  officers 

who  led  the  attack  and  of  the  Union  officers  who  repulsed  it. 


BATTLE  OF  GETTYSBURG 


305 


about  90,000/  met  Lee  at  Gettysburg.    Both  armies  felt  that  this 
was  the  place  to  fight. 

Here  one  of  the  most  important  and  decisive  battles  of  the  war 
took  place.  (Map,  p.  288.) 
Both  sides  fought  with 
desperate  courage.  The 
Confederates  held  Sem- 
inary Ridge ;  the  Union 
men,  Cemetery  Ridge, 
nearly  opposite.  The 
battle  lasted  three  days 
(July  1-3,  1863).  On 
the  first  day  the  Confed- 
erates gained  the  advan- 
tage. On  the  second  day 
Lee's  men  made  a  rush 
to  get  Little  Round  Top, 
but  were  beaten  back 
with  heavy  loss.  Later, 
they  got  a  foothold  on 
Culp's  Hill,  but  were 
soon  driven  out.  On  the 
third  day  Lee  sent  Gen- 
eral Pickett,  with  a  force 
of  15,000  Confederates, 
to  attack  General  Han- 
cock on  Cemetery  Ridge. 

In  order  to  reach  the 
ridge  the  Confederate 
force  had  to  cross  a  mile 
of  open  ground.  They 
came  forward  steadily, 
silently,  under  a  terrible 
fire  from  the  Union  guns.  Their  ranks  were  plowed  through  and 
through  with  shot  and  shell,  but  the  men  did  not  falter.    They 

1  Official  returns  estimate  that  Lee  had  at  least  70,000  men,  and  Meade  90,000. 


The  "Soldiers'  Monument"   in  the   Na- 
<    tional  Cemetery  on  the  Battlefield 
of  Gettysburg 

The  battle  of  Gettysburg  is  generally  considered  as  the 

turning  point  in  the  terrible  struggle  between  the 

Confederate  forces  fighting  to  destroy  the  Union 

and  the  National  forces  which  fought  to 

preserve  it. 


306       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1865 


charged  up  the  slight  rise  of  ground  and  broke  a  part  of  the 
Union  line ;  but  they  could  go  no  farther,  and  Pickett,  with  the 
fragments  of  his  division,  —  for  only  fragments  were  left,  —  fell 
back  defeated.  It  was  the  end  of  the  most  stubbornly  fought  battle 
of  the  war;  nearly  50,000  brave  men  had  fallen1  in  the  contest; 
Lee  had  failed  ;   he  retreated  across  the  Potomac  and  never  made 

another  attempt  to  invade 
the  North.2 

344.  The  Surrender 
of  Vicksburg  and  Port 
Hudson.  While  the  great 
battle  of  Gettysburg  was 
going  on,  another  battle  of 
almost  or  quite  equal  im- 
portance was  being  fought 
at  Vicksburg,  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi (§  335).  Vicks- 
burg and  vicinity  were 
held  by  a  strong  Confed- 
erate force  under  General 
Pemberton.  Early  in  the 
spring  (1863)  General  J. 
E.  Johnston  (§325,  note 
2)  (then  at  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee)  moved  with 
an  army  to  join  Pember- 
ton. In  a  number  of  masterly  battles  General  Grant  defeated 
Pemberton  before  Johnston  could  unite  with  him.  He  then  forced 
him  to  retreat  to  Vicksburg,  and  at  the  same  time  drove  Johnston 
off  the  field.  For  several  weeks  following,  Grant  and  Sherman,3 
with  a  total  force  of  over  70,000,  besieged  Vicksburg. 

1  Union  loss,  23,003;  Confederate  loss,  20,451. 

2  For  this  great  victory  and  the  one  that  followed  it,  at  Vicksburg,  President  Lincoln 
called  for  a  day  of  national  thanksgiving  and  prayer. 

«  General  W.T.Sherman  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  1820.  He  graduated  at  West 
Point  in  1840,  and  entered  the  regular  army.  He  commanded  a  Union  brigade  at  Bull  Run, 
and,  under  Grant,  won  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  (see  §  332).  In  May,  1862,  he  was 
made  a  major  general.    He  died  in  1891. 


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1863] 


THE  SURRENDER  OF  VICKSBURG 


307 


During  that  time  the  Union  men  were  shelling  the  city  night 
and  day.  Food  had  become  so  scarce  that  the  Confederate  troops 
had  but  one  "  cracker  "  and  a  small  piece  of  raw  pork  a  day,  and 
the  town  was  so  knocked  to  pieces  with  shot  and  shell  that  the 
women  and  children  were  forced  to  live  in  caves  dug  in  the  earth. 
They,  too,  were  reduced  to  a  few  mouthfuls  of  food  a  day ;  and 


vlcksburg,  showing  the  union  gunboats  and  the  firing  from 
the  Confederate  Batteries 

when  "  mule  steaks  "  gave  out,  many  had  to  choose  between  eating 
cats  and  rats  or  dying  of  starvation. 

Out  of  less  than  30,000  men  the  Confederates  had  6000 
in  hospital,  besides  great  numbers  unfit  for  active  duty.  They 
could  hold  out  no  longer,  and  on  July  4  (1863)  Vicksburg  sur- 
rendered. The  Union  troops  "  felt  that  their  long  and  weary 
marches,  hard  fighting,  and  ceaseless  watching  by  night  and  day  " 
were  over.  Including  noncombatants,  Grant  took  nearly  32,000 
prisoners.  Famine  had  forced  them  to  give  up  their  stronghold  ; 
had  they  not  given  it  up,  Grant's  army  would  have  dug  down 
or  blown  up  this  "  Gibraltar  of  the  Confederacy."  The  Stars 
and   Stripes  were  hoisted  over  the  courthouse,  and  the   Union 


308       LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY  [i8G3 

men  distributed  bread  to  the   hungry  and  made  the  place  ring 


with 


Yes,  we  '11  rally  round  the  flag,  boys, 

We  '11  rally  once  again, 

Shouting  the  battle  cry  of  Freedom.' 


The   victories    of    Gettysburg   and    Vicksburg    ensured  a    great 
"  Fourth  "  for  the  Union. 

Port  Hudson  surrendered  five  days  later  (July  9,  1863),  and 
thus  another  part  of  the  Union  plan  of  the  war  was  accomplished 
(§  328).  One  part  had  been  to  shut  the  ports  of  the  South  by 
the  blockade  ;  another  was  to  open  the  Mississippi  River.  This 
had  now  been  done,  and  the  great  river  flowed  in  peace  from  its 
source  to  the  sea. 

345.  Draft  Riots;  Morgan's  Raid;  Chickamauga;  Siege  of  Chat- 
tanooga. The  last  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  volunteers  did 
not  bring  anything  like  the  number  of  men  needed,  and  in  July 
(1863)  the  government  began  to  draft  the  troops  required.  In  New 
York  City  mobs  of  rioters  resisted  the  draft,  but  they  were  finally 
put  down  by  armed  force,  and  the  necessary  men  for  the  army  were 
in  the  end  obtained.  In  the  South  drafting  had  long  been  going  on, 
and  nearly  every  able-bodied  man  was  forced  to  serve  in  the  war. 

During  the  same  month  General  Morgan  with  a  body  of  Con- 
federate cavalry  made  a  raid  through  Tennessee  and  Kentucky 
into  Indiana  and  Ohio,  burning  mills,  factories,  and  bridges,  tear- 
ing up  the  railways,  and  destroying  a  large  amount  of  property ; 
but  he  was  at  last  captured  and  his  men  scattered. 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  General  Rosecrans,  by  a  series  of 
brilliant  movements,  forced  General  Bragg  (§  339)  to  take  refuge 
in  Chattanooga,  Tennessee.  In  September  he  compelled  Bragg  to 
give  up  that  city  to  him.  Shortly  afterward  he  met  the  Confed- 
erate general  in  Georgia  and  fought  the  great  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga (September  19-20,  1863).  Bragg  had  the  most  men  and 
defeated  Rosecrans.  But  General  Thomas  —  the  "  Rock  of  Chick- 
amauga," as  his  men  called  him  —  repulsed  Bragg's  attack. 
Thomas  held  his  position  like  a  rock,  and  not  only  saved  a  large 
part  of  the  Union  army  from  destruction,  but  inflicted  terrible  loss 
on  the  Confederates,  who  greatly  outnumbered  him.    The  Union 


1863-18G4]  GRANT  GENERAL  IN  CHIEF  309 

forces  now  retreated  to  Chattanooga  (Map,  p.  292),  and  were  shut 
up  there  by  Bragg,  who  besieged  them  for  two  months. 

346.  Battles  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge  ;  Sher- 
man's Raid ;  Grant  General  in  Chief.  The  Confederates  held 
Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  overlooking  the  beautiful 
Chattanooga  valley.  (See  p.  31 1 .)  General  Hooker  had  come  from 
Virginia  (§  342),  and  under  Grant  he,  with  Sherman  and  Thomas, 
drove  them  from  the  mountains  in  two  battles  (November  24-25, 
1863), — one  the  famous  "battle  above  the  clouds,"1  the  other 
the  magnificent  charge  of  the  Union  troops  up  Missionary  Ridge. 
The  Confederates  now  retreated  to  Dalton,  Georgia. 

In  February  (1864)  General  Sherman  made  a  raid,  from  Vicks- 
burg,  across  the  state  of  Mississippi.  He  effectually  destroyed  the 
railways  centering  at  Meridian  (Map,  p.  306),  by  ripping  up  the 
rails  and  burning  bridges,  machine  shops,  and  locomotives.  So 
little  was  left  of  the  place  that  one  of  the  inhabitants  said,  "  Sher- 
man didn't  simply  smash  things,  but  he  just  carried  the  town  off 
with  him."  This  rendered  the  Confederates  in  that  quarter  help- 
less to  attack  him  at  Chattanooga.  Shortly  after  this  (March  3, 
1864),  Grant  was  made  general  in  chief  of  the  Union  armies. 
At  last  the  right  man  has  been  found.  He  will  advance  on  Rich- 
mond, and  Sherman  will  soon  begin  his  famous  march  from  Chat- 
tanooga to  Atlanta,  and  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea. 

347.  Summary  of  the  Third  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1863- 
April,  1864).  At  the  East  the  Confederates  had  gained  the  battle 
of  Chancellorsville,  but  lost  "  Stonewall "  Jackson.  Lee's  second 
invasion  of  the  North  had  ended  in  his  defeat  at  Gettysburg ;  at 
the  same  time  Grant  and  Sherman  were  taking  Vicksburg.  Port 
Hudson  surrendered  a  few  days  later,  and  the  Mississippi  was 
open  through  its  entire  length.  In  the  southwest  the  Union 
forces,  after  their  defeat  at  Chickamauga,  won  the  brilliant  vic- 
tories of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge.  Grant  was 
now  made  general  in  chief  of  the  Union  forces ;  he  went  east  to 
manage  the  war  there,  and  left  Sherman  in  charge  of  the  West. 

1  That  of  Lookout  Mountain.  Union  forces  in  the  campaign  60,000,  loss  5800 ;  Confed- 
erate 40,000  (?),  loss  6700. 


310       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1864-1865 

Fourth  and  Last  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1864  — 
April,  1865) 

348.  Grant  and  Sherman  agree  ona"  Hammering  Campaign." 

Early  in  the  spring  (1864)  Grant  and  Sherman  met  and  decided 
on  a  plan  of  action.  The  Confederates  had  been  driven  from  the 
Mississippi ;  they  now  had  two  chief  centers  of  power  left.  First, 
Lee,  with  an  army  of  about  60,000,  held  the  southern  banks  of 
the  Rapidan  and  the  Rappahannock  (Map,  p.  312),  thus  guard- 
ing Richmond  and  all  the  country  south  of  it.  Secondly,  J.  E. 
Johnston,  with  about  75,000,  held  Dalton,  Georgia  (a  town  a  short 
distance  below  Chattanooga,  Tennessee)  (Map,  p.  292),  and  all  the 
country  south  and  east  of  it. 

Grant  and  Sherman  agreed  to  divide  their  work  :  the  first,  with 
120,000  men,  was  to  move  on  Lee  and  compel  him  to  surrender 
Richmond ;  the  second,  then  at  Chattanooga  with  an  army  of 
100,000,  was  to  march  the  same  day  on  Johnston,  beat  him,  and 
then  push  his  way  through  to  the  sea.  This  was  "  the  famous 
hammering  campaign."  1  Grant  and  Sherman  agreed  "  to  ham- 
mer" together,  "to  hammer"  with  all  their  might,  and  never  to 
leave  off  "hammering"  until  they  had  given  the  finishing  blow, 
and  permanently  established  peace,  union,  and  freedom  for  the 
whole  country. 

349.  The  Battles  of  the  Wilderness.  South  and  east  of  the  Rapi- 
dan is  a  desolate  region  known  as  "the  Wilderness."  (Map,  p.  3 1 2.) 
Much  of  it  is  covered  with  a  scraggy  growth  of  oak,  pine,  and 
tangled  underbrush.  Grant's  army  began  to  advance  into  that 
region  (May  4,  1864).  Grant  was  headed  for  Richmond,  and,  sit- 
ting on  a  log  in  the  Wilderness,  he  telegraphed  to  Sherman  at 
Chattanooga  (§  348)  to  begin  his  march  into  Georgia.  From  that 
time  until  June,  or  about  a  month  in  all,  Grant  was  M  hammering  "  at 
Longstreet  and  other  noted  fighters  of  the  Confederate  army,  first 
in  the  thick  of  the  Wilderness  itself,  then  at  Spottsylvania  Court- 
house (May  8-18,  1864),  then  at  Cold  Harbor  (June  3,  1864),  on 

1  "  Hammering  "  in  the  sense  of  giving  the  Confederates  no  rest ;  Grant  did  this,  largely, 
by  direct  attack ;  Sherman,  largely  by  indirect  or  flank  attack. 


View  from  Lookout  Mountain  showing  the  Tennessee  River 

The  mountain  rises  to  the  south  of  the  city  of  Chattanooga  and  commands  a 
view  extending  into  seven  states.   To  the  east  rises  Missionary  Ridge. 


31 


312       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1864 


the  edge  of  the  fortifications  of  Richmond,  where,  it  is  said,  10,000 
of  our  "  men  in  blue  "  fell  in  twenty  minutes.    (Map,  below.) 

It  was  a  terrible  series  of  battles,  costing  the  Union  army  a  loss 
of  an  immense  number.  Lee  did  not  lose  so  many  men  because 
he  knew  the  country  perfectly,  and  was  acting  on  the  defensive. 
Grant  had  vowed  that  he  would  not  turn  back,  but  would  fight  it 
out  on  that  line  if  it  took  all  summer.  He  did  not  turn  back,  but 
he  had  to  give  up  his  direct  line  of  advance  and  take  another. 

Lee  had  retreated,  and 
intrenched  himself  in- 
side the  fortifications  of 
Richmond  ;  in  order  to 
draw  him  out  to  a  battle 
in  the  open  field,  or  to 
find  a  more  favorable 
point  of  attack,  Grant 
now  moved  round  to 
Petersburg  on  the  south 
of  the  Confederate  cap- 
ital.  (See  Map.) 

350.  Captain  Wins- 
low  sinks  the  Alabama* 
Early's  Raid.  Peters- 
burg was  strongly  forti- 
fied, and  Grant  had  to 
lay  siege  to  it  with  shot 
and  shell,  as  he  did 
to  Vicksburg  (§  344). 
While  he  was  busy  in  this  way,  Captain  Winslow  of  the  United  States 
war  ship  Kearsarge  attacked  the  Alabama  (§  329),  commanded  by 
Captain  Semmes.  The  fight  took  place  off  the  northern  coast  of 
France  (June  19,  1864).  Captain  Winslow  gained  the  victory  and 
sunk  the  vessel  that  had  destroyed  so  many  Northern  merchant  ships. 
About  the  beginning  of  July  (1864),  Lee  dispatched  General 
Early  with  a  strong  force  to  make  a  dash  on  Washington.  Early 
succeeded  in  getting  within  half  a  dozen  miles  of  that  fort-girdled 


General  Grant 


3*3 


314       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1864 


city,  and  then  had  to  retreat  up  the  Shenandoah  valley.  He  carried 
off  with  him  about  5000  horses  and  2000  cattle  to  recruit  the  fast- 
failing  fortunes  of  the  men  in  "  Dixie's  land."  *  Later  in  the  same 
month  Early's  cavalry  made  a  raid  into  Pennsylvania  and  burned 
Chambersburg. 

351.  Sheridan's  Raid  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. .  Grant  now 
(August  7,  1864)  sent  General  Sheridan2  with  a  strong  force  of 
Union  cavalry  to  lay  waste  the  Shenandoah  valley.    (Map,  p.  312.) 


Grant  shelling  Petersburg 
Notice  the  defenses  formed  of  stakes  and  trees  in  front  of  the  Union  army. 

This  valley  was  one  of  the  chief  strongholds  of  the  Confederates, 
and  Grant  was  determined  to  destroy  everything  in  it  which  could 
support  their  men.  Sheridan  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks  he  burned  so  many  barns  and  mills  filled 

1  "  For  Dixie's  land  we  take  our  stand, 
And  live  or  die  for  Dixie  1 " 

This  was  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  Confederate  war  songs  ;  it  was  originally  a  negro 
melody  sung  in  praise  of  the  South  or  w  Dixie's  land."  It  was  a  great  favorite  with  Presi- 
dent Lincoln. 

2  General  Philip  H.  Sheridan  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York, 
in  1831 ;  died,  1888.  He  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1853.  In  1864  he  was  appointed  com- 
mander of  all  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  after  his  famous  "  ride  "  to 
Winchester  he  was  made  a  major  general. 


1864]  SHERIDAN'S  RIDE  315 

with  grain,  and  drove  off  so  many  sheep  and  cattle,  that  it  was 
said,  "  If  a  crow  wants  to  fly  down  the  valley,  he  must  carry  his 
provisions  with  him."  Could  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson  (§  342)  have 
revisited  that  beautiful  country,  —  the  pride  of  his  heart,  —  he 
would  have  wept  fierce  tears  over  its  heaps  of  desolate  ashes,  as 
the  women  and  children  of  Chambersburg  (§  350)  had  wept  and 
wrung  their  hands  at  the  sight  of  their  blazing  homes. 

352.  The  Petersburg  Mine;  Sheridan's  Ride.  Meanwhile  (July 
30,  1864),  General  Burnside  (§  339),  acting  under  General  Grant's 
order,  had  undermined  the  Confederate  fortifications  at  Peters- 
burg (§  349)  and  placed  8000  pounds  of  powder  in  the  mine. 
When  it  exploded  it  made  a  deep  chasm  or  "  crater"  nearly  200 
feet  long.  The  Union  soldiers  rushed  into  the  breach,  hoping  to 
enter  the  city ;  but  the  Confederate  fire  made  it  a  gigantic  grave 
for  hundreds  of  brave  fellows,  while  those  who  got  out  found 
themselves  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  Lee's  army. 

In  September  (1864)  there  was  fighting  in  the  Shenandoah 
valley  between  Sheridan  and  Early  (§§  350,  351),  in  which  Sheri- 
dan gained  the  day.  Later,  Early  took  advantage  of  Sheridan's 
absence  from  his  army  to  surprise  the  Union  forces  at  Cedar  Creek 
in  the  valley.  They  retreated,  and  the  retreat  soon  became  a  panic. 
Sheridan  was  then  at  Winchester,  about  twenty  miles  away.  He 
heard  the  cannon  with  their 

"  terrible  grumble,  and  rumble,  and  roar, 
Telling  the  battle  was  on  once  more." 1 

Mounting  his  horse,  he  hurried  to  the  scene  of  disaster.  As  he 
came  up,  the  Union  cavalry  greeted  him  with  a  great  cheer. 
"  Face  the  other  way !  "  shouted  Sheridan  to  the  retreating  men. 
They  did  face  the  other  way,  and  drove  the  Confederates  "flying" 
out  of  that  part  of  the  valley. 

353.  The  War  in  the  West;  Sherman's  Advance  to  Atlanta. 
According  to  agreement  (§  348),  Sherman  began  his  advance  from 
Chattanooga  to  Atlanta  the  same  day  (May  4,  1864)  that  Grant 
marched  forward  into  the  Wilderness.    Atlanta  was  not  only  a 

1  See  Read's  poem  of  "  Sheridan's  Ride  "  in  "  Heroic  Ballads  "  [Ginn  and  Company]  ;  then 
read  Sheridan's  own  modest  account  of  the  w  ride  "  in  his  "  Personal  Memoirs,"  II,  66-92. 


316       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [l*tt 

great  railway  center,  but  it  was  "  the  chief  seat  of  the  machine 
shops,  foundries,  and  factories  of  the  Confederacy."  For  these 
reasons  Sherman  was  resolved  to  capture  the  city  at  any  cost. 

Sherman  advanced  slowly  through  a  rough,  mountainous  coun- 
try. He  fought  sharp  battles  at  Resaca  (May  14-15,  1864),  at 
Dallas  (May  25-28,  1864),  and  at  Kenesaw  Mountain  (June  27, 
1864)  (Map,  p.  320);  but  the  Confederates  could  not  check  him 
in  his  march.  Sherman  says  that  for  an  entire  month  the  Union 
army  never  ceased  firing  for  even  "  a  minute."  But  his  soldiers 
would  rather  have  fought  more  battles  and  had  less  rain.     For 


Farragut's  Letter  Home,  written  just  before  the  Battle 
I  am  going  into  Mobile  Bay  in  the  morning  if  "  God  is  my  leader,"  as  I  hope  he  is. 

D.  G.  Farragut 

three  weeks  it  poured  most  of  the  time  night  and  day ;  while  he 
was  marching,  every  man  had  a  rivulet  streaming  down  his  back, 
and,  as  the  army  carried  no  tents,  he  was  fortunate  when  night 
came  if  he  did  not  have  to  sleep  in  a  puddle. 

As  fast  as  the  Confederates,  under  Johnston,  fell  back  they  tore 
up  the  railway  track  and  burned  the  bridges  ;  but  Sherman's  men 
rebuilt  them  so  rapidly  that  "  the  whistle  of  the  locomotives  was 
always  following  close  on  the  heels  of  Johnston's  soldiers." 

354.  Sherman  takes  Atlanta;  Farragut  enters  Mobile  Bay. 
After  a  series  of  battles  with  Hood,  to  whom  Jefferson  Davis 
had  now  given  the  command  in  place  of  General  J.  E.  Johnston 


V7 


318       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1864 


(§  344),  Sherman  took  Atlanta  (September  2,  1864).  He  had 
advanced  100  miles  from  Chattanooga,  and  in  that  short  distance 
each  side  had  lost  about  30,000  men ;  that  meant  that  every 
mile  had  cost  the  two  armies  600  killed  and  wounded.  Sherman 
burned  the  foundries,  mills,  and  machine  shops  of  Atlanta,  but 
spared  all  its  dwelling  houses  and  churches.  This  destruction 
crippled  the  Southern  armies.    From  that  time  they  fought  like 


An  Incident  of  Sherman's  March  through  Georgia 


a  man  with  one  of  his  arms  broken ;  they  were  as  brave,  as  reso- 
lute as  ever,  but  they  lost  ground  every  day. 

Meanwhile,  Admiral  Farragut(§  334)  attacked  Mobile  (August  5, 
1864).  He  stationed  himself  in  the  rigging  of  his  vessel,  where 
he  could  see  every  move  in  the  battle  ;  after  a  hard  fight  he  forced 
his  way  with  his  fleet  past  the  forts  and  took  possession  of  the 
harbor.  He  completely  closed  the  port  of  Mobile1  against  supplies 
sent  to  the  Confederates  from  abroad.  This  naval  victory  was  one 
more  important  step  taken  toward  compelling  the  final  surrender 
of  the  South. 

1  All  the  ports  of  the  South  had  long  been  blockaded  by  Union  war  vessels,  but  in  some 
cases  "  blockade  runners  "  succeeded  in  evading  these  vessels,  and  thus  a  certain  amount  of 
secret  commerce  was  carried  on. 


319 


320       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1864 


355.  Sherman's  March  from  Atlanta  to  the  Sea.  After  the 
fall  of  Atlanta,  Jefferson  Davis  ordered  the  Confederate  army 
to  abandon  the  state  of  Georgia,  his  intention  being  to  strike 
General  Thomas,  who  held  Nashville.  He  hoped  in  this  way  to 
compel  Sherman  to  turn  back  to  help  Thomas.  But  Sherman 
believed  that  "the  Rock  of  Chickamauga  "  (§  345)  was  quite  able 
to  take  care  of  himself ;  he  therefore  resolved  to  push  forward. 
About  the  middle  of  November  (1864)  Sherman  cut  the  telegraph 
and  railway  lines  which  connected  him  with  the   North.    Thus 


Sherman's  March 
Chattanooga  to  Atlanta ;  Atlanta  to  Savannah ;  Savannah  to  Raleigh. 

"  detached  from  all  friends,  dependent  on  its  own  resources  and 
supplies,"  his  army  set  out  on  its  great  march  to  the  sea.  For  four 
weeks  Sherman  and  his  men  disappeared.  The  North  knew  noth- 
ing of  his  movements.  But  Grant  had  faith  that  his  friend  would 
not  get  lost,  and  that  sometime  the  country  would  hear  from  him. 
Meanwhile,  Sherman  was  going  forward  with  60,000  veteransr 
plenty  of  provisions,  and  practically  no  force  to  resist  him.  He 
cut  a  clean  swath  sixty  miles  wide 1  from  Atlanta  to  Savannah 

"  So  we  made  a  thoroughfare  for  Freedom  and  her  train, 
Sixty  miles  in  latitude,  three  hundred  to  the  main." 

"  Marching  through  Georgia." 


1864]  THOMAS  DESTROYS  HOOD'S  ARMY  321 

(Map,  p.  320),  destroying  railways  and  stripping  the  plantations 
and  towns  bare  of  everything,  —  cows,  pigs,  chickens,  hay,  — 
whatever,  in  fact,  man  or  horse  could  devour,  vanished  before  the 
advancing  army.  Along  this  broad  track  of  desolation  several 
thousand  negroes  followed  in  the  wake  of  "  Massa  Sherman," 
shouting  and  singing  as  they  trudged  on. 

356.  Thomas  destroys  Hood's  Army.  While  Sherman  was  press- 
ing forward,  the  Confederate  General  Hood  —  one  of  the  best 
fighters  in  the  South  —  moved  from  the  vicinity  of  Atlanta  into 
Tennessee  to  attack  Thomas  (§355).  A  battle  was  fought  at 
Franklin  (November  30,  1864),  in  which  Hood  was  severely 
repulsed.  Then  Hood  advanced  and  besieged  Thomas  in  Nash- 
ville. Thomas  was  slow,  but  when  he  did  strike,  it  was  with 
sledge-hammer  force. 

He  attacked  Hood  (December  15-16,  1864)  and  cut  his  army 
all  to  pieces.  The  miserable  remnant,  ragged,  barefooted,  wet  to 
the  skin  by  incessant  winter  rains,  shivering  and  starving,  escaped, 
as  best  they  could,  leaving  their  sick  and  wounded  to  die  along 
the  roadside.  This  ended  the  war  in  Tennessee.  The  Confed- 
eracy had  now  practically  shrunk  from  eleven  states  to  three,  — 
Virginia,  and  North  and  South  Carolina;  the  rest  were  either 
inactive,  or  they  were  under  the  control  of  the  military  power  of 
the  United  States. 

357.  Sherman  takes  Savannah  and  moves  Northward.  In  a 
little  less  than  a  month  from  the  day  when  he  left  Atlanta,  Sherman 
reached  Savannah.  He  stormed  and  took  Fort  McAllister  on  the 
south  of  the  city  (December  13,  1864);  he  entered  Savannah 
eight  days  later  (December  21)  and  the  next  day  he  sent  the 
following  message  to  the  President : 

"  Savannah,  Georgia,  Dec.  22,  1864. 
"  To  his  Excellency,  President  Lincoln,  Washington,  D.C. : 

"  I  beg  to  present  you  as  a  Christmas  gift  the  City  of  Savannah,  with  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  heavy  guns  and  plenty  of  ammunition ;  also  about  twenty-five 
thousand  bales  of  cotton. 

"  W.  T.  Sherman,  Major  General."1 

1  General  Sherman  sent  this  mes'sage  by  a  vessel  to  Fort  Monroe.  It  reached  the  Presi- 
dent on  Christmas  eve 


SHERMAN'S  ANNOUNCEMENT  OF  LEE'S   SURRENDER 

{Special  Field  Orders,  No.  54] 

Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  "1 
Mississippi,  in  the  Field,  Smithfield,  l 
North  Carolina,  April  12,  1865.  J 

The  General  commanding  announces  to  the  army  that  he  has 
official  notice  from  General  Grant  that  General  Lee  surrendered 
to  him  his  entire  army,  on  the  9th  inst.,  at  Appomattox  Court- 
house, Virginia. 

Glory  to  God  and  our  country,  and  all  honor  to  our  comrades 
in  arms,  toward  whom  we  are  marching ! 

A  little  more  labor,  a  little  more  toil  on  our  part,  the  great  race 
is  won,  and  our  government  stands  regenerated,  after  four  long 
years  of  war. 

W.  T.  Sherman,  Major  General  commanding. 
(See  Sherman's  "  Memoirs  ") 


The  above  order  was  issued  while  the  Union  army  was  marching  from 
Goldsboro,  North  Carolina,  in  pursuit  of  Johnston's  army.  Johnston  did  not 
make  a  stand,  but  surrendered  near  Durham  Station,  about  twenty-five  miles 
northwest  of  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  April  26,  1865. 

When  Sherman's  men  learned  that  Lee  had  surrendered  they  went  wild 
with  excitement.  They  shouted,  they  flung  up  their  caps,  they  turned  somer- 
saults in  their  delight. 

The  whole  land  seemed  full  of  rejoicing  that  the  long,  terrible  struggle  was 
practically  over.  Confederate  as  well  as  Union  soldiers  were  glad  to  see  peace 
at  hand ;  and  a  Southern  woman,  who  heard  the  hurrahs  of  Sherman's  "  boys 
in  blue  "  as  they  marched  past  her  house,  looked  upon  her  wondering  children 
and  said,  while  tears  streamed  down  her  cheeks,  "  Now  father  will  come  home." 
—  See  General  Jacob  D.  Cox's  "  The  March  to  the  Sea." 


Jl  A&4>t~-  do&-~  fyin^  &t<rulZ 
<ri  (fa.  (hc^  ^/Uc^A^i&  <pt*^c— 

ffitZS  ZCt*<*+0      CfriTlA-    /4f6tL    Off^t /^i— 

Lee's  Letter  to  Grant  respecting  the  Surrender  of  the 
Confederate  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 


323 


324       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1865 

Long  before  they  reached  Savannah,  Sherman's  men  had  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  seacoast  was  not  their  final  destination, 
and  they  would  call  out  to  the  General  as  he  rode  past,  "  Uncle 
Billy,  I  guess  Grant  is  waiting  for  us  at  Richmond !  "  1 

They  were  right,  for  early  in  the  new  year  (1865)  Sherman 
set  out  with  his  army  northward.  It  was  a  seven  weeks'  march 
through  mud,  rain,  and  swamps.  He  reached  Columbia,  the 
capital  of  South  Carolina,  about  the  middle  of  February,  and 
ordered  the  destruction  of  all  buildings  which  might  be  of  use 
to  the  Confederates  in  prolonging  the  war.  Unfortunately  the 
town  caught  fire,  and  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  Union  army 
to  extinguish  the  flames,  the  greater  part  of  the  place  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  On  his  advance  Sherman  had  to  fight  General 
J.  E.  Johnston  with  a  strong  Confederate  force  near  Goldsboro, 
North  Carolina  (March  19,  1865).  Meanwhile,  Charleston  and 
Wilmington  had  been  captured  by  Union  forces  :  the  Confederacy 
had  lost  its  last  seaports. 

About  a  week  later  (March  27,  1865)  General  Sherman,  leaving 
his  victorious  army  at  Goldsboro  (Map,  p.  320),  went  to  City  Point,2 
on  the  James  River,  Virginia,  to  consult  with  Grant.  A  month 
later  (April  26,  1865)  Johnston  surrendered  to  Sherman  near 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina. 

358.  The  End  of  the  War ;  Assassination  of  President  Lincoln. 
Sheridan  now  made  a  raid  south  through  the  Shenandoah  valley, 
in  which  he  destroyed  the  railway  and  canal  from  Lynchburg,  on 
the  west  of  Richmond,  nearly  up  to  the  Confederate  capital.  This 
had  the  effect  of  cutting  off  a  large  part  of  the  provisions  for  Lee's 
army.  Sheridan  next  (March  29,  1865)  made  a  similar  raid  to  the 
south  of  Richmond.  Lee  had  now  only  40,000  men  to  Grant's 
100,000.  While  the  Confederate  general  was  trying  to  guard 
against  Sheridan,  Grant  threw  his  whole  force  on  Petersburg 
(§§  349)  352)  and  captured  it  (April  2,  1865).  Lee  retreated  from 
Richmond,  and  the  next  day  (April  3,  1865)  Grant's  forces  entered 
the  capital  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  and  raised  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  over  the  city.    Jefferson  Davis  escaped  to  North  Carolina, 

1  See  Sherman's  "  Memoirs,"  II,  179.         2  City  Point  is  40  miles  below  Richmond. 


1865]         ASSASSINATION  OF  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN         325 

but  was  captured  in  May  and  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Fort  Monroe. 
He  was  released  two  years  later.1  Lee's  forces  were  completely 
broken  up ;  many  of  his  men  were  so  weak  from  want  of  food 
that  they  could  not  shoulder  a  musket.  Lee  surrendered  to  Grant 
at  Appomattox  Courthouse,  a  little  place  about  seventy-five  miles 
west  of  Richmond  (April  9,  1JL65).  Nothing  could  be  more  nobly 
generous  than  the  terms  given  by  General  Grant  to  the  defeated 
Confederates.  The  only  conditions  he  demanded  were  that  the 
men  should  lay  down  their  arms  and  return  to  their  homes.  Those 
who  had  horses  were  permitted  to  take  them  with  them ;  for,  as 
Grant  remarked,  they  "  would  need  them  for  the  plowing." 

Finally,  General  Grant  issued  an  order  to  serve  out  25,000 
rations  of  food  to  Lee's  half -starved  men.  That  meant  that  the 
strife  was  over,  and  that  peace  and  brotherhood  were  restored. 
Five  days  afterward  (April  14,  1865)  General  Anderson  hoisted 
over  Fort  Sumter  the  identical  flag  under  whose  starry  folds  he 
had  fought  against  Beauregard  (§  320).  It  was  exactly  four  years 
to  a  day  since  the  Confederates  had  won  their  first  victory  in 
the  Civil  War. 

Thus  ended  the  great  contest,  which  had  cost  in  all  probably 
over  half  a  million  of  lives  and  thousands  of  millions  of  dollars.2 
But  the  triumphant  joy  of  those  who  had  fought  to  save  the 
Union  was  quenched  in  tears ;  for  on  the  evening  following  the 
celebration  at  Fort  Sumter  (April  14,  1865),  the  President  was 
.  shot  by  an  assassin.3  Many  of  those  who  had  fought  against  him 
in  the   South  wept  at  his  death.    He  was  the  friend  of  every 

1  By  the  end  of  May  all  the  Confederate  forces  had  surrendered  and  disbanded.  None  of 
the  leaders  or  men  engaged  in  the  War  of  Secession  were  brought  to  trial  for  having  taken 
up  arms  against  the  national  government;  but  Henry  Wirz,  the  Swiss  commandant  at 
Andersonville,  Georgia,  was  charged  with  cruel  treatment  of  Union  prisoners,  and  was  tried 
and  convicted  by  court-martial ;  he  was  hanged  November  10,  1865. 

2  The  total  war  debt  of  the  North  was  nearly  $3,000,000,000  ;  this,  however,  represented 
but  a  part  of  the  expense.  The  greatest  number  of  men  engaged  in  the  Union  armies  at  any 
one  time  was  probably  about  1,000,000.  Colonel  Livermore  thinks  that  the  Confederate 
forces  engaged  during  the  war  (1 861-1865)  did  not  exceed  600,000.  See  Colonel  T.  L.  Liver- 
more's  "  Numbers  and  Losses  in  the  Civil  War,"  p.  9. 

8  President  Lincoln  was  shot  at  the  theater  by  John  Wilkes  Booth,  an  obscure  actor,  who 
was  the  leader  of  a  conspiracy  for  the  assassination  of  the  President,  Vice  President,  the 
cabinet,  and  General  Grant.  Booth  was  pursued  and  shot,  four  of  the  other  conspirators 
were  hanged,  and  four  imprisoned. 


326       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1860 

American ;  none  of  us  or  of  our  children,  North  or  South,  will 
ever  know  a  more  unselfish  or  a  truer  man  than  Abraham  Lincoln. 

359.  The  North  and  the  South  in  the  War.  In  the  North  there 
was  sore  anxiety  for  friends  who  might  never  return  ;  and  sisters, 
wives,  and  mothers  were  mourning  for  those  who  had  fallen  on 
the  battlefield  or  died  in  prison.  In  the  South  there  was  the  same 
terrible  loss  of  life,  the  same  mourning  for  those  who  had  left 
their  homes  never  to  return.  The  material  privations  and  suffer- 
ings of  the  war  fell  mainly  on  the  South.  Except  at  Gettysburg 
all  the  fighting  was  done  on  Southern  soil.  No  armies  marched 
through  the  North.  Two  new  states  —  West  Virginia  (1863)  and 
Nevada  (1864)  —  had  been  added  to  the  Union.  All  business 
went  on  as  usual,  or  with  increased  activity.  Every  seaport  was 
open,  and  trade  and  commerce  flourished.  There  were  many 
quiet  homes  not  directly  touched  by  the  hardships  and  horrors 
of  the  struggle,  where  the  progress  of  the  war  was  only  known 
by  newspaper  reports. 

Thanks  to  the  financial  ability  and  the  unfailing  energy  of  Sec- 
retary Chase,  the  government  never  lacked  means  to  carry  on  the 
contest.  Whatever  money  could  do  for  the  equipment  and  com- 
fort of  the  Union  forces  was  done  without  stint  or  murmur,  even 
when  the  expenses  exceeded  $3,500,000  a  day. 

In  addition  to  all  this  care  for  the  men  by  the  government,  the 
Sanitary  and  the  Christian  Commissions  were  unwearied  in  their 
great  work  of  love  and  mercy  among  the  wounded  and  the  sick. 
Once  in  hospital  no  one  was  ever  asked  on  which  side  he  had 
fought ;  but  tender  hands  ministered  to  his  needs,  and  soothed 
his  sufferings,  whether  he  wore  the  "  blue  "  or  the  "  gray." 

With  the  people  of  the  South  all  was  different.  Their  ports 
were  blockaded,  their  business  ruined.  The  country  had  no  money, 
no  manufactures  ;  the  negroes  had  been  set  free.  In  their  extrem- 
ity Southern  ladies  cut  up  their  carpets  to  make  blankets  and 
clothes  for  the  soldiers,  and  churches  gave  their  bells  to  be  cast 
into  cannon.  Long  before  the  final  surrender  there  was  grievous 
want  everywhere  throughout  the  South,  and  everywhere  the  people 
were  suffering  from  the  destruction  necessarily  caused  by  invading 


1865]  SUMMARY  327 

armies  or  from  the  dread  of  such  invasion.  It  is  a  noble  evidence 
of  the  fortitude  of  the  American  character  that  the  Southern  people, 
however  mistaken  in  their  purpose,  "  fought,"  as  General  Grant 
says,  "so  bravely,  so  gallantly,  and  so  long."1 

360.  Summary  of  the  Fourth  and  Last  Year  of  the  War  (April, 
1864-April,  1865).  This  year  was  marked  by  Grant  and  Sherman's 
"  hammering  campaign,"  which  ended  in  the  destruction  of  the 
Confederate  power  in  the  west  and  in  the  east,  and  was  followed 
by  the  surrender  of  Lee.  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated  a 
few  days  later.  The  surrender  of  General  J.  E.  Johnston,2  soon 
after,  ended  the  war,  and  established  the  Union  on  a  solid  founda- 
tion of  freedom  for  all  men. 

1  See  General  Grant's  w  Personal  Memoirs,"  II,  426. 

2  In  his  last  orders  to  his  troops,  General  J.  E.  Johnston  said :  w  I  earnestly  expect  you 
to  observe  faithfully  the  terms  of  pacification  agreed  upon,  and  to  discharge  the  obligations 
of  good  and  peaceful  citizens  as  well  as  you  have  performed  the  duties  of  thorough  soldiers 
in  the  field."  Like  a  brave  officer,  Johnston  led  the  way  in  the  execution  of  this  order  by  his 
own  example.  He  died  March  21,  1891,  shortly  after  he  had  acted  as  pallbearer  at  the  funeral 
of  his  friend,  General  W.  T.  Sherman. 


IX 

"  America  is  another  word  for  Opportunity."  —  R.  W.  Emerson's  Essay 
on  American  Civilization. 


RECONSTRUCTION  — THE  NEW  NATION1 

(1865  to  the  Present  Time) 
THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY  IN  POWER 

361.  Difficulty  of  President  Johnson's  Task;  the  Grand  Review; 
disbanding  the  Armies.  The  untimely  death  of  President  Lincoln 
(§358)  made  Andrew  Johnson2  the  head  of  the  nation.3  The 
position  to  which  the  new  President  was  thus  suddenly  called,  was 
peculiarly  hard  and  trying ;  for  if  the  great  heart  of  Lincoln  had 
to  bear  the  sad  burden  of  four  years  of  civil  war,  his  successor 
had  to  undertake  the  delicate  and  difficult  work  of  reconstruction, 
—  that  is,  of  restoring  the  seceded  states  to  their  former  places 
in  the  Union. 

Now  that  the  war  was  over,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to 
disband  the  Union  army,  numbering  more  than  a  million  soldiers. 

1  Reference  Books.  W.  Wilson's  "Division  and  Reunion,"  ch.  11-13  ;  W.  C. 
Bryant  and  Gay's  "United  States"  (revised  edition),  V,  ch.  21-31  ;  A.  B.  Hart's 
"American  History  by  Contemporaries,"  IV,  ch.  23-34;  A.  B.  Hart's  "Source 
Book,"  ch.  19-21  ;  W.  A.  Dunning's  "  Reconstruction  "  ;  E.  E.  Sparks'  "  National 
Development";  D.  R.  Dewey's  "National  Problems";  J.  H.  Latane's  "America 
the  World  Power";  A.  B.  Hart's  "Ideals  of  American  Government";  J.  W. 
Garner's  and  Lodge's  "  United  States,"  III,  ch.  35,  and  IV,  ch.  36-45  ;  E.  B. 
Andrews'  "The  United  States  in  Our  Time."  See  also  the  classified  List  of 
Books  in  the  Appendix. 

2  Andrew  Johnson  was  born  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  in  1808  ;  died,  1875.  He  learned 
the  tailor's  trade  and  moved  to  Greenville,  Tennessee.  He  never  attended  school,  but  was 
entirely  self-educated.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1843  by  the  Democrats,  and  to  the 
United  States  Senate  in  1857.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  took  a  decided  stand 
against  secession.  In  1862  President  Lincoln  appointed  him  military  governor  of  Tennessee. 
On  Lincoln's  second  election  to  the  presidency  by  the  Republicans,  Johnson  was  elected 
Vice  President. 

8  See  the  Constitution,  Article  II,  Section  1,  Paragraph  6. 

328 


THE  GRAND  REVIEW 


329 


But  multitudes  wished  to  see  the  brave  men  who  had  fought  to 
save  the  nation ;  and  late  in  May  a  grand  review  of  Grant's  and 
of  Sherman's  troops  took  place  in  Washington. 

For  the  first  time  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  trium- 
phant armies  of  the  east  and  of  the  west  were  united.  During 
the  greater  part  of  two  days  (May  23,  24,  1865)  the  broad  avenue 
from  the  Capitol  to  the  White  House  resounded  with  martial 
music,  and  with  the  strong,  steady  tread  of  a  column  of  men  over 
thirty  miles  long.  The  march  of  these  seemingly  endless  regi- 
ments of  sunburnt  veterans,  bearing  their  glittering  muskets  and 


The  Capitol  at  Washington 


their  tattered,  smoke-stained  battle  flags,  festooned  with  flowers,  was 
a  magnificent  sight.  No  such  spectacle  had  ever  been  seen  before 
in  America  ;  as  one  enthusiastic  officer  declared,  "  It  was  worth  ten 
years  of  a  man's  life  for  him  to  be  able  to  say,  1 1  was  there.'  " 

But  grand  as  the  display  was,  something  grander  was  to  come ; 
that  was  the  fact  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  all  these  men, 
with  many  hundreds  of  thousands  more,1  laid  down  their  arms 
and  went  quietly  to  their  homes.  Neither  on  the  Northern  nor 
on  the  Southern  side  was  there  a  single  act  of  lawlessness  to  stain 
their  proud  record  as  soldiers  and  Americans. 

1  About  50,000  men  were  kept  as  a  standing  army,  to  preserve  order ;  all  the  other  Union 
troops  were  disbanded.   The  number  of  Confederates  disbanded  was  about  175,000. 


330       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1865 

362.  What  the  War  Settled.    The  war  settled  three  things  : 

1.  It  "extinguished  secession"  as  completely  as  water  extin- 
guishes a  flame  of  fire.  Henceforth  it  was  understood  that  the 
Union  could  not  be  broken.  On  this  point  the  Constitution 
received  a  final  and  unmistakable  interpretation.  In  the  words 
of  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
(1868),  the  American  Republic  is  "an  indestructible  Union  com- 
posed of  indestructible  states."  The  war  established  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  national  government  beyond  all  question ;  but  more 
than  this,  it  made  every  heart  feel  that  we  are  one  nation  and 
have  a  common  destiny.  It  fixed  in  the  minds  of  the  people  the 
great  thought  expressed  by  Daniel  Webster  :  "  Liberty  and  Union, 
now  and  forever,  one  and  inseparable  "  (§  268). 

2.  The  war  made  the  negro  free  —  that  was  an  advantage  to 
every  one,  white  or  black,  North  or  South ;  for  free  labor  only  is 
intelligent  and  profitable. 

3.  The  manner  in  which  the  result  was  accepted  on  both  sides 
was  itself  a  benefit.  General  Grant  showed  a.  magnanimity  that 
has  had  no  parallel.  General  Lee  had  fought  with  all  his  might ; 
he  was  in  the  wrong ;  he  applied  to  the  government  for  a  pardon, 
as  an  example  to  his  men.  He  said :  "  Remember  that  we  are  one 
country  now.  Do  not  bring  up  your  children  in  hostility  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States.    Bring  them  up  to  be  Americans." 

363.  The  Presidents  Proclamation  of  Pardon;  the  Contest  be- 
tween Congress  and  the  President.  President  Johnson  issued  a 
proclamation  of  pardon  (May  29,  1865)  to  the  greater  part  of  the 
people  of  the  seceded  states  on  condition  that  they  would  swear 
to  "faithfully  support,  protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  and 
the  Union."  A  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  those  states  took 
the  oath.  They  furthermore  bound  themselves  to  accept  the  Thir- 
teenth Amendment  to  the  Constitution,  which  prohibited  slavery 
(§  340),  and  they  agreed  never  to  demand  payment  of  any  part  of 
the  Southern  war  debt.  ^ 

Now  came  the  question  whether  these  states  should  be  at  once 
permitted  to  send  representatives  to  Congress.  The  President  said, 
Yes ;  but  a  majority  in  Congress  said,  No.   The  reason  ,for  this 


it*toW*^         -vy^.W  wv4  Ao^y^v  <r< 


1865-1867]  MILITARY  GOVERNMENT  331 

denial  was  that  the  greater  part  of  Congress  believed  that  it  would 
not  be  safe  to  restore  the  southern  states  to  their  full  political 
rights  until  more  was  done  to  protect  the  negroes,  or  "freedmen," 
as  they  were  now  called,  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  new  liberty. 

From  this  time  forward  the  President  and  Congress  were  en- 
gaged in  bitter  strife  with  each  other.  Congress  refused  to  re- 
admit the  southern  states,  and  passed  several  bills  1  in  favor  of  the 
"freedmen,"  one  of  which  made  them  citizens,2  another  gave  them 
military  protection,  while  a  third  granted  them  power  to  vote  in 
the  District  of  Columbia.  The  President  believed  that  the  South 
would  deal  fairly  by  the  "freedmen,"  and  he  therefore  vetoed  these 
bills  ;  Congress  then  passed  them  over  his  veto.3 

364.  Congress  puts  the  Southern  States  under  Military  Gov- 
ernment; the  Fourteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution.  In 
the  spring  (1867)  Congress  passed  another  bill  over  the  Presi- 
dent's veto.  This  was  the  First  Reconstruction  Act.4  The  new 
law  divided  the  South  into  districts,  each  of  which  was  to  be  gov- 
erned by  a  military  governor.  The  "freedmen"  were  given  the 
right  to  vote,  but  that  right  was  denied  to  all  those  white  inhab- 
itants who  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  war  against  the 
Union.  Each  state  was  to  continue  under  this  form  of  govern- 
ment until  the  people  of  the  states  —  black  as  well  as  white  — 
should  form  a  government  accepting  the  Fourteenth  Amendment 
to  the  Constitution. 

That  amendment,  enacted  by  Congress  in  i866,6to  supplement 
the  Thirteenth  Amendment  (§  340),  declared  the  negro  a  citizen ; 
it  made  it  a  great  disadvantage  to  a  state  to  deny  him  the  right  to 
vote  or  to  hold  office ;  finally  it  shut  out  the  chief  white  men  of 
the  South,  who  had  taken  part  in  the  war,  from  holding  any  high 

1  Namely  the  Civil  Rights  Bill,  the  Supplementary  Freedmen's  Bureau  Bill,  and  the 
District  of  Columbia  Franchise  Bill.  See  W.  Macdonald's  "Select  Statutes"  (1861-1898), 
pp.  141,  147,  154. 

2  By  making  the  "  freedmen"  citizens,  Congress  (by  the  Civil  Rights  Bill,  March,  1866) 
gave  them  the  right  to  protection  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  with  power  to  use 
the  courts  to  sue  for  the  payment  of  debts  and  the  like. 

8  In  case  the  President  vetoes  a  bill  (that  is,  refuses  to  sign  it,  and  returns  it  to  Con- 
gress), Congress  may  pass  the  bill  without  the  President's  signature,  providing  two  thirds 
of  the  members  vote  for  it.   See  the  Constitution,  Article  I,  Section  7,  Paragraph  2. 

*  See  W.  Macdonald's  «  Select  Statutes  "  (1861-1898),  p.  156.        5  Ratified  in  1868. 


332       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1866-1867 

office.1   When  these  conditions  should  be  accepted,  but  not  before, 
the  southern  states  might  send  representatives  to  Congress. 

Tennessee,  President  Johnson's  state,  having  fulfilled  all  the 
conditions  required,  had  been  readmitted  (1866). 

365.  Six  States  readmitted;  Negro  Legislators  and  "Carpet- 
baggers."2 Six  states  accepted  these  conditions;3  four  refused 
but  accepted  them  later  (1870).  In  some  of  the  restored  states, 
especially  in  South  Carolina,  there  were  more  negroes  than  white 
men.  The  negroes  got  control  of  these  states.  They  had  been 
slaves  all  their  lives,  and  were  so  ignorant  that  they  did  not  even 
know  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  Yet  they  now  sat  in  the  state 
legislatures  and  made  the  laws.  After  the  war  many  industrious 
Northern  men  settled  in  the  South,  but,  besides  these,  certain 
greedy  adventurers,  nicknamed  "  Carpetbaggers,"  went  there  eager 
to  get  political  office  and  political  spoils.  These  "  Carpetbaggers  " 
used  the  ignorant  "  freedmen  "  as  tools  to  carry  out  their  own  selfish 
purposes.  Working  with  the  negro  legislators,  they  plundered  the 
states  that  had  the  misfortune  to  be  subject  to  their  rule.4 

After  a  time  the  white  population  throughout  the  South  resolved 
that  they  would  no  longer  endure  this  state  of  things.  Partly  by 
peaceable  and  partly  by  violent  means  they  succeeded  in  getting 
the  political  power  into  their  own  hands,  and  the  reign  of  the 
"  Carpetbagger"  and  the  negro  came  to  an  end. 

366.  Congress  impeaches  the  President;  Proclamation  of  Full 
and  Unconditional  Pardon ;  the  Fifteenth  Amendment.  Meanwhile, 
the  quarrel  between  Congress  and  the  President (§  363)  was  growing 

1  See  the  Constitution  —  Amendments,  Article  XIV.  The  Fourteenth  Amendment  further- 
more required  the  South  to  repudiate  its  war  debt  and  to  agree  to  the  payment  of  the  Union 
war  debt. 

2  "  Carpetbaggers  " :  a  nickname  given  by  Southerners  to  Northern  adventurers  who  went 
South  after  the  war  (with  no  baggage  or  property  except  a  carpetbag)  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  office  and  plunder.  Those  Southerners  who  joined  the  w  Carpetbaggers  "  in  their 
schemes  were  nicknamed  "  Scalawags." 

8  The  six  states  which  accepted  (and  were  readmitted  June,  1868)  were  Alabama, 
Arkansas,  Florida,  Louisiana,  North  Carolina,  and  South  Carolina.  Georgia,  Mississippi, 
Texas,  and  Virginia  remained  out  until  1870. 

4  In  1868  the  total  debt  of  South  Carolina  was  about  $5,000,000.  Under  four  years  of 
"  Carpetbag "  government,  or  rather  misgovemment,  the  debt  was  increased  to  no  less 
than  $30,000, 000.  Much  of  the  debt  represented  simply  what  was  stolen  from  the  people 
of  the  state. 


1867-1869]    CONGRESS  IMPEACHES  THE  PRESIDENT         333 

more  and  more  serious.  The  President  was  not  only  determined 
to  have  his  own  way,  but  also  to  remove  from  office  those  who  did 
not  agree  with  him.  Congress  now  passed  the  Tenure  of  Office 
Act  (1867).1  It  forbade  his  dismissing  even  the  members  of  his 
own  cabinet  or  private  council  without  the  consent  of  the  Senate. 

The  President  denied  the  power  of  Congress  to  make  such  a 
law,  and  he  removed  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  who 
had  been  appointed  by  President  Lincoln.  For  this  refusal  to 
obey  the  Tenure  of  Office  Act  Congress  proceeded  (1868)  to 
impeach2  the  President.  On  his  trial  thirty-five  senators  voted 
"guilty"  and  nineteen  "not  guilty"  ;  as  this  was  one  less  than 
the  two-thirds'  vote  required  to  convict  him,  President  Johnson 
was  acquitted.  A  single  vote  more  against  him  would  have 
removed  him  from  the  presidency. 

On    the   Christmas  following   (1868)   the    President  issued   a  /%^ 
proclamation  of  full  and  unconditional  pardon  to  all  persons  who  a 
had  taken  part  in  the  war  against  the  Union. 

Early  in  the  year  following  (1869)  Congress  passed  the  Fif- 
teenth Amendment  to  the  Constitution.  It  was  ratified  by  the 
states  in  1870.3  The  Thirteenth  Amendment  (passed  1865) 
made  the  negro  free  (§  340),  the  Fourteenth  Amendment  (passed 
1866)  made  him  a  citizen  (§  364),  the  Fifteenth  finished  the  work 
and  made  him  a  voter.  All  these  great  changes  had  taken  place 
within  the  short  space  of  four  years  ! 

But  since  then  (1890- 1908)  the  greater  part  of  the  southern 
states  have  passed  laws  which  practically  take  away  the  negro's 
power  to  vote  in  those  states.  For  this  reason  the  Fifteenth 
Amendment  has  at  present  no  real  force  at  the  South  (§  409). 

1  See  W.  Macdonald's  K  Select  Statutes"  (1861-1898),  p.  160.  The  principal  features  of 
the  act  were  repealed  in  1869,  and  the  remainder  of  it  in  1887. 

2  Impeach  the  President:  to  bring  him  to  trial.  The  House  of  Representatives  makes 
the  charges  and  the  Senate  tries  the  case  —  the  Chief  Justice  presiding.  See  the  Constitu- 
tion, Article  I,  Section  2,  Paragraph  5  ;  and  Section  3,  Paragraph  6.  As  only  part  of  the  south- 
ern states  had  been  readmitted,  the  number  of  senators  was  then  but  54. 

3  See  the  Constitution  —  Amendments,  Article  XV.  The  Thirteenth  Amendment  was 
passed  by  Congress  under  Lincoln  in  1865.  It  was  ratified  by  the  required  number  of  three 
fourths  of  the  states  in  December  of  that  year,  after  Johnson  had  become  President. 

The  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Amendments  were  passed  by  Congress  during  Johnson's 
presidency,  but  the  last  was  not  ratified  until  1870,  after  Grant  had  become  President. 


334       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

367.  The  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cable.  These  political  events  were 
not  the  only  ones  in  which  the  country  was  interested.  Professor 
Morse,  the  inventor  of  the  telegraph,  had  predicted  (§  284)  that 
the  time  would  come  when  messages  would  be  sent  across  the  sea 
by  electricity. 

Cyrus  W.  Field  of  New  York  formed  a  company  to  accomplish 
this  work  by  laying  a  wire  cable  on  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic, 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  The  company  lost 
several  millions  of  dollars  in  attempting  to  do  this,  though  they 
succeeded  in  laying  a  cable  (1858)  by  which  messages  were  sent 
for  a  few  weeks.    Not  to  be  discouraged,   Mr.  Field  formed  a 

new  company,  and  raised  more 
money  for  the  work.  This  time 
( 1866)  he  was  entirely  success- 
ful,  and  established  a  perma- 
nent telegraphic  line  beneath 
the  sea,  between  the  Old  World 
and  the  New. 

A  number  of  additional  elec- 
tric cables  have  since  been  laid 
across  the  Atlantic.    The  re- 
Landing  One  End  of  the  Atlantic     suit    is    that    every    important 

event  which  occurs  in  Europe 
or  in  the  United  States  is  printed  in  the  papers  of  both  countries 
on  the  same  day  and  often  at  the  same  hour. 

We  shall  see  (§428)  that  many  years  later  (1902)  an  American 
company  laid  a  telegraphic  cable  across  the  Pacific. 

368.  Our  Sixth  Step  in  Expansion, —  Purchase  of  Alaska ;  Pay- 
ment of  the  National  Debt.  The  next  year  (1867),  just  after  Ne- 
braska entered  the  Union,  we  purchased  from  Russia  the  territory  of 
Alaska,  embracing  more  than  590,000  square  miles.  We  paid  a 
little  over  $7,000,000  for  it,  or  less  than  what  four  days  of  war  had 
sometimes  cost  us.  This  addition  to  our  territory  was  the  sixth  step 
in  our  progress  of  national  expansion  (§  294).  It  raised  the  total 
area  of  the  United  States  then  to  about  3,600,000  square  miles,  thus 
making  it  nearly  equal  to  that  of  all  the  countries  of  Europe  united. 


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UNITED    STATES 

ON  THE  AMERICAN  CONTINENT 
1776  to  the  present  time 


1867-1869]  SUMMARY  335 

Secretary  Seward  persuaded  Congress  to  make  this  purchase, 
in  order  to  extend  our  power  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Many  Con- 
gressmen thought  it  was  a  waste  of  money,  and  one  called  Alaska 
"  the  refrigerator  of  the  United  States."  But  it  has  proved  itself 
to  be  a  very  profitable  "  refrigerator."  Its  furs,  forests,  fish,  and 
mineral  deposits  are  of  immense  value ;  and  many  millions  in  gold 
have  been  taken  from  the  Yukon  and  Klondike  districts. 

Besides  buying  this  new  territory  the  national  government  be- 
gan to  pay  off  the  great  Civil  War  debt,  amounting  to  nearly 
$ 3,000, 000,000,* —  a  sum  so  enormous  that  in  the  longest  life- 
time a  person  counting  out  the  dollars  one  by  one,  at  the  rate  of 
sixty  a  minute,  could  not  get  through  even  a  third  of  it. 

Before  all  the  soldiers  had  been  sent  home  we  had  paid  off 
over  $30,000,000.  Since  then  we  have  paid  nearly  $1,200,000,000 
more.  Had  we  continued  to  reduce  our  debt  at  the  same  rate 
we  should  have  wiped  it  out  in  about  fourteen  years.  No  country 
in  Europe  ever  voluntarily  settled  such  a  debt.  To-day  our  credit 
stands  as  high  as  that  of  any  nation  on  the  globe. 

369.  Summary.  During  President  Johnson's  administration  six 
of  the  seceded  states  were  readmitted  to  the  Union ;  but  Congress 
and  the  President  did  not  agree,  and  Congress  attempted  by  im- 
peachment to  remove  the  President  from  office. 

Three  amendments  to  the  Constitution  —  namely,  the  Thir- 
teenth, Fourteenth,  and  Fifteenth  —  were  made  during  Mr.  John- 
son's presidency,  though  the  last  one  was  not  ratified  by  the  states 
until  the  incoming  of  the  next  administration.  The  first  declared 
the  negro  free,  the  second  made  him  a  citizen,  the  third,  a  voter. 

The  other  important  events  were  :  ( 1 )  the  full  pardon  of  all 
persons  who  had  fought  against  the  Union ;  (2)  the  beginning  of 
the  payment  of  the  national  debt ;  (3)  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic 
cable  ;  (4)  the  purchase  of  Alaska. 

1  The  actual  national  war  debt  was  $2,750,000,000.  This  debt  was  greatly  increased  by 
our  war  with  Spain  (1898),  so  that  at  the  close  of  1907,  notwithstanding  all  we  had  paid,  it 
was  nearly  $2,500,000,000. 


33<5       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Ulysses  S.  Grant  (Republican)1 

370.  Grant's  Administration  (Eighteenth  President,  Two  Terms, 
1869-1877);  Completion  of  the  Pacific  Railway;  what  Railways 
and  Telegraphs  have  done  for  the  Union.  Before  the  great  Civil 
War  broke  out  the  people  of  California  resolved  to  have  a  direct 
overland  mail  to  the  East,  instead  of  that  by  the  slow  and  circuitous 
route  through  Arizona.  Accordingly  a  pony  express  started  (i860) 
to  carry  letters  between  Sacramento  and  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  by 
way  of  Salt  Lake  City.  This  was  followed  by  a  telegraph  line 
(1861).  Next,  a  daily  line  of  stagecoaches  for  both  passengers 
and  letters  was  put  on  the  same  route  (1861).  When  Indians 
attacked  these  coaches  there  was  wild  work.  It  was  a  race  for  life 
and  a  fight  for  life.  But  this  means  of  communication  was  too 
slow,  and  a  number  of  enterprising  Eastern  and  Western  men 
resolved  to  build  a  railway  across  the  continent  to  the  Pacific. 

A  little  more  than  two  months  after  General  Grant  became 
President,  the  last  spike  of  the  last  rail  of  the  new  road  was 
driven  at  Ogden,  Utah  (1869).  The  blows  of  the  sledge  hammer 
which  drove  that  spike  —  completing  the  greatest  work  of  the 
kind  then  in  the  world  —  were  telegraphed,  as  they  fell,  through- 
out the  Union.2 

Congress  granted  a  tract  of  land  in  alternate  sections,  twenty 
miles  wide,  extending  from  Omaha  to  San  Francisco  in  aid  of  this 
national  enterprise.  During  the  previous  thirty-five  years  the  gov- 
ernment gave  to  road,  canal,  and  railway  corporations  public  lands 

1  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant  of  Illinois  (Schuyler  Colfax  of  Indiana,  Vice  President)  was 
elected  President  by  the  Republicans  in  1868,  over  Governor  Horatio  Seymour  of  New  York 
and  Francis  P.  Blair  of  Missouri,  the  Democratic  candidates.  He  was  reelected  in  1872 
(Henry  Wilson  of  Massachusetts,  Vice  President),  over  Horace  Greeley  of  New  York  and 
B.  Gratz  Brown  of  Missouri,  the  candidates  of  the  Liberal  Republicans  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  Democrats  united. 

2  The  Union  Pacific  Railway,  begun  during  the  Civil  War,  was  built  westward  from 
Omaha  on  the  Missouri  to  Ogden,  Utah,  a  distance  of  1000  miles ;  there  it  met  and  con- 
nected with  the  Central  Pacific  Railway,  which  was  pushed  through  at  the  same  time  from 
San  Francisco,  a  distance  of  878  miles.  The  total  distance  from  New  York  to  San  Fran- 
cisco is  3322  miles.  The  Northern  and  the  Southern  Pacific,  the  Great  Northern,  the 
Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe,  the  Milwaukee  and  Puget  Sound,  and  the  Rock  Island, 
Rio  Grande,  and  Western  Pacific  Railways  have  since  been  built,  making  seven  transcon- 
tinental lines  in  the  United  States,  but  some  of  these  have  been  consolidated. 


1869] 


COMPLETION  OF  THE  PACIFIC   RAILWAY 


337 


nearly  equal   in   area  to  that  of  the   thirteen   original   states  as 
they  now  stand. 

Between  Omaha  and  San  Francisco  the  railway  crosses  nine 
mountain  ranges,  including  the  Rockies  and  the  Sierras,  climbing, 
and  then  descending,  over  8000  feet.  In  point  of  time,  it  is  now  no 
farther  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  than  it  was  in  the  days  of 
the  Revolution  from  New  York  to  Boston.  Then  it  took  our  fore- 
fathers between  five  and  six  days  to  go  by  wagon  somewhat  less 
than  250  miles  ;  now,  in  that  time  we  can  cross  the  entire  continent. 


The  First  Pacific  Railway 


The  result  of  this  rapid  means  of  travel  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  the  republic.  Once  members  of  Congress  laughed  at 
the  idea  that  California  and  Oregon  would  be  added  to  the  United 
States.  They  said  that  it  would  be  practically  impossible  for  such 
states,  if  added,  to  send  representatives  to  the  national  capital, 
because  it  would  take  them  the  greater  part  of  the  year  to  get 
to  Washington  and  back.  For  that  reason  they  believed  that 
the  people  who  settled  the  Pacific  coast  would  form  a  separate 
and  independent  republic.  The  railway  and  the  telegraph  have 
changed  all  that.  They  have  connected  the  farthest  extremities 
of  the  country  so  closely  that  they  have  made  it  possible  for  us 
to  extend  and  maintain  the  Union  from  ocean  to  ocean. 


338       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


371.  Effect  of  the  Pacific  Railway  on  Commerce  with  Asia,  and 
on  the  Growth  of  the  Far  West ;  the  Homestead  Act.  But  this  is 
not  all.  The  building  of  the  Pacific  Railway  entirely  changed  our 
relations  with  Asia.  Teas,  spices,  and  silks  formerly  reached  us 
from  China  and  from  the  East  Indies  by  ships  sailing  round  Cape 
Horn.  Goods  might  be  five  or  six  months 
coming  that  immense  distance.  Now  many 
of  these  goods  come  direct,  by  steamer,  to 
San  Francisco  and  Seattle,  and  are  then 
sent,  by  rail,  to  the  east.  In  a  little  over  a 
month  from  the  time  a  cargo  of  tea  leaves 
China,  it  can  be  delivered  in  New  York. 
The  old  navigators  spent  their  lives  in  try- 
ing to  find  a  direct,  western  route  to  Asia 
(§  16) ;  we  have  found  it,  though  in  a  totally 
different  way  from  what  they  expected. 

Last  of  all,  and  most  important  as  well  as 
last,  the  Pacific  Railway,  and  the  lines  since 
built,  have  opened  not  only  the  Central 
West,  but  the  Far  West,  —  as  the  region 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  is  called. 
Steam  has  enabled  a  peaceful  army  of 
thrifty  emigrants  to  reach  that  section  easily, 
quickly,  and  cheaply.  The  unexplored  re- 
gion that  a  little  more  than  a  generation 
ago  was  given  up  to  wild  beasts  and  savages 
is  now  rapidly  filling  with  population. 

The  liberal  land  laws  of  the  United 
States  greatly  encouraged  this  movement. 
From  1830  to  1862  actual  settlers  on  the 
public  lands  had  the  first  right  to  buy  160  acres  at  the  very  low 
price  of  $1 .25  per  acre.  This  power  of  preemption,  as  it  was  called, 
made  the  farmer  independent  in  large  measure  of  speculators  and 
other  would-be  purchasers. 

Next  (1862)  Congress  passed  the  Homestead  Act.    That  meas- 
ure made  a  present  of  160  acres  to  every  settler  on  government 


Where  Some  of  our 
Western  Railways 
go  —  Animas  Can- 
yon, Colorado 


1869-]  WESTERN  FARMS  AND  RANCHES  339 


A  Western  Ranch  or  Cattle  Farm 


land  on  condition  that  he  built  himself  ' 

a  home  and  proceeded  to  cultivate  and  improve  the  soil.  The 
Western  emigrant's  song  declaring  that  "  Uncle  Sam  is  rich  enough 
to  give  us  all  a  farm,"  then  became  a  fact,  though  it  cannot  remain 
a  fact  much  longer.1  It  induced  scores  of  thousands  to  cross  the 
Mississippi.  Their  labor  has  transformed  the  country  where  they 
settled.  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  and  the  newer  states  west 
and  north  of  them,  that  were  once  treeless  deserts  or  vast  stretches 
of  uncleared  and  uncultivated  wilderness,  are  to-day  covered  with 
grain  fiejds  and  fruit  orchards. 

Denver  and  many  other  prosperous  cities  and  towns  in  neigh- 
boring states  have  sprung  up  in  places  where,  when  Grant  became 
President,  there  were  often,  at  the  most,  only  a  few  rude  cabins 
made  of  sods  or  logs,  or  a  few  "  dugouts,"  excavated  in  the  sides 
of  the  hills.  Thus  within  the  short  period  of  about  thirty  years 
the  railways  of  the  West  have  entirely  changed  that  part  of  the 
republic.  They  have  converted  what  was  once  a  broad  extent  of 
unoccupied  territory  —  sometimes  seemingly  barren  and  worthless 
—  into  groups  of  rapidly  growing  commonwealths,  rich  in  mines 
of  precious  metals,  rich  in  farms,  in  ranches,  and  industries  of 
every  kind. 

Some  of  these  farms,  in  the  Far  West,  exhibit  stock  raising 
and  agriculture  on  a  scale  never  seen  before,  for  they  embrace 

1  The  area  of  farming  land  which  the  government  now  holds  for  disposition  under  the 
Homestead  Act  is  diminishing  rapidly,  and  in  a  very  short  time  "  Uncle  Sam  "  will  have  no 
more  to  give  away.  On  the  other  hand,  the  National  Irrigation  Act  oimit^o2  has  enabled 
the  government  to  fertilize  millions  of  acres  of  desert  lanclDyirrigation.  The  expense  of 
the  improvement  is  met  by  the  sale  of  public  lands,  and  settlers  can  obtain  irrigated  farms 
on  condition  that  they  pay  for  the  water  used.  Recently  more  than  10,000  families  have 
taken  such  farms  in  the  Far  West  and  are  raising  highly  profitable  crops  on  soil  that  a  little 
while  ago  was  simply  "  dust  and  ashes." 


340       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1870  1871 

from  5000  to  40,000  acres  each,  and  have  50,000  head  of  cattle 
or  sheep.  There  are  single  wheat  fields  of  13,000  acres,  and 
single  farms  which  extend  for  many  miles,  —  covered  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  see,  with  one  mass  of  grain  rolling  in  golden  waves. 
These  are  the  kind  of  farms  on  which  thirty-three  horse  har- 
vesters and  steam  harvesters  are  in  use  (§  303). 

372.  Completion  of  Reconstruction ;  the  Weather  Bureau ;  Great 
Fires;  the  "Boss"  Tweed  M Ring."  The  reconstruction  of  the 
southern  states  was  completed  in  1870;  and  in  January  of  the 


Copyright,  Underwood  &  Underwood 

A  Thirty-Three  Horse  Harvester 

following  year  (1871)  all  the  states  "were  represented  in  Con- 
gress for  the  first  time  since  December,  i860."  The  disastrous 
effects  of  negro  voting  in  South  Carolina  and  some  other  states 
where  the  "freedmen"  were  in  the  majority  (§365)  caused  violent 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  white  inhabitants.  A  secret  society 
known  as  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  was  organized  in  various  parts  of 
the  South  to  prevent  the  negroes  from  voting.  Congress  passed 
the  "Force  Bill"  (1871)  to  give  military  protection  to  the  black 


1871-1873]  "RINGS"  AND  THEIR  WORK  341 

man *  (repealed,  1 894).  Experience  has  since  proved  that  the  negro 
can  protect  himself  best  by  advancing  in  education  and  in  habits  of 
industry.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  (§  366)  that  a  number  of 
southern  states  have  practically  abolished  the  African  American's 
right  to  vote,  but  the  fact  remains  that  the  negro,  like  the  white 
man,  still  has  the  liberty  to  make  himself  what  he  chooses.  That 
noted  colored  educator,  Booker  T.  Washington,  recently  said  that 
he  would  rather  be  an  l<  American  negro  "  than  a  white  man.2 

Another  important  work  accomplished  by  Congress  (1870)  was 
the  establishment  of  the  Weather  Bureau.  This  department  has  its 
headquarters  at  Washington,  with  branches  in  all  the  principal  cities. 

Its  object  is  to  give  information  of  approaching  storms  and 
changes  of  weather.  It  has  been  the  means  of  saving  the  coun- 
try from  heavy  losses  both  by  land  and  sea. 

The  next  autumn  (1871)  a  great  fire  broke  out  in  Chicago, 
which  destroyed  about  18,000  buildings  valued  at  $200,000,000. 
During  the  same  season  terrible  forest  fires  caused  great  destruc- 
tion in  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota.  The  year  following 
(1872)  a  conflagration  consumed  business  property  in  Boston  worth 
about  $80,000,000.  These  losses  greatly  aggravated  the  panic 
which  followed  soon  afterward  (1873)  (§  373).  Our  losses  by  fire 
now  average  more  than  $500,000  a  day  for  every  day  in  the  year. 

In  New  York  City  it  was  discovered  that  "  Boss  "  Tweed,  one 
of  the  commissioners  of  public  works,  had  been  guilty,  in  connec- 
tion with  other  city  officers,  of  a  series  of  stupendous  frauds.  In 
the  course  of  years  this  "  ring,"  as  it  was  called,  robbed  the  city 
of  many  millions,  —  so  many,  in  fact,  that  it  would  have  been 
cheaper  to  have  had  a  great  fire  like  that  of  Chicago  or  Boston 
than  to  have  kept  these  men  in  power.  Eventually  the  "  ring  " 
was  broken  up,  and  Tweed  died  in  Ludlow  Street  Jail. 

373.  The  New  Coinage  Act;  the  Business  Panic  of  1873;  the 
Centennial  Exhibition;  the  Electric  Light;  the  Telephone.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  and  for  many  years  afterward,  paper  money 

1  See  W.  Macdonald's  "Select  Statutes"  (1861-1898),  p.  249. 

2  See  Booker  T.  Washington's  "  The  American  Negro  of  To-Day,"  in  Putnam's  Monthly, 
October,  1907,  p.  70. 


342       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1873-1876 

was  the  only  kind  generally  in  use  throughout  the  country  (§  324). 
Silver  dollars  had  practically  disappeared  largely  because  people 
found  dollar  bills  more  convenient  to  carry  than  the  heavier  money, 
and  although  smaller  silver  coins  were  common,  they,  of  course, 
could  only  be  used  for  making  trifling  purchases  and  for  "  change." 

For  these  reasons  Congress  passed  a  new  Coinage  Act  (1873) 
which  dropped  "  the  silver  dollar  of  our  fathers "  (§  202)  and 
ordered  the  United  States  mints  not  to  issue  any  money  for  use 
at  home *  but  gold  pieces,  small  silver,  and  coppers. 

The  Coinage  Act  attracted  hardly  any  attention  at  the  time,  but 
a  few  years  later  a  great  outcry  was  raised  against  the  measure 
and  Congress  was  forced  to  restore  the  silver  dollar  (§  379). 

The  year  1873  was  also  memorable  as  the  date  of  the  begin- 
ning of  a  great  business  panic  which  ruined  a  multitude  of  people. 
One  reason  for  the  outbreak  of  the  trouble  was  that  the  success 
of  the  first  Pacific  Railway  (§371)  led  to  the  building  of  more 
western  railways  than  the  country  then  needed. 

Thousands  of  men  believed  that  by  speculation  they  could  get 
rich  at  locomotive  speed,  but  their  plans  ended  (as  in  1837  and 
1857)  (§§275,  312)  in  a  terrible  crash.  Even  the  United  States 
government  felt  so  pinched  for  money  that  it  stopped  making 
payments  on  the  war  debt  for  a  time,  and  all  work  on  public 
buildings  came  to  a  standstill.  The  country  did  not  fully  recover 
from  the  "  hard  times  "  for  five  or  six  years. 

A  leading  feature  of  the  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the 
One  Hundredth  Year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States 
was  the  opening  of  the  Centennial  Exhibition  in  Fairmount  Park, 
Philadelphia  (1876).  The  principal  buildings  covered  a  total  space 
of  about  seventy-five  acres.  All  the  nations  of  the  world  sent 
products  of  their  industry  or  their  art  to  be  exhibited  ;  but,  as 
in  the  World's  Fair  of  1853  (§  303),  our  own  country  again  took 
the  lead  in  the  display  of  useful  inventions.  The  Exhibition 
showed  what  a  great  change  had  taken  place  in  the  mode  of 
doing  most  kinds  of  work.    In  Washington's  day,  and  for  many 

1  The  new  Coinage  Act  provided,  however,  for  the  coinage  of  "  trade  dollars  "  to  be 
employed  in  our  commerce  with  China  where  silver  was  the  only  currency  generally  in  use. 


1876-] 


THE  ELECTRIC  LIGHT  AND  TELEPHONE 


343 


years  later,  nearly  everything  was  done  by  hand ;  but  by  the  time 
we  had  reached  our  hundredth  birthday  an  industrial  revolution 
had  taken  place.  Arms  of  iron  and  fingers  of  steel  now  per- 
formed the  labor.  The  duty  of  the  workman  since  that  period 
has  been  mainly  to  guide  and  superintend  a  machine  which  is  his 
willing,  tireless  servant.  One  such  machine,  for  instance,  an  electric 
printing  press  (§  303),  can  often  do  more 
in  a  single  hour  than  a  man,  working 
with  his  hands  alone,  could  do  in  a  week 
—  or  in  a  number  of  weeks. 

Since  the  Exhibition,  machines  have 
multiplied  with  greater  rapidity  than  ever. 
Three  of  the  most  remarkable  novelties 
then  exhibited  were  the  electric  light,  the 
first  practical  typewriter,  and  an  instru- 
ment invented  by  Professor  A.  G.  Bell 
of  Boston,  which  we  know  to-day  as  the 
telephone.  Professor  Morse  enabled  men 
to  send  written  messages  to  each  other  by 
electricity  (§  284) ;  Professor  Bell,  going 
a  step  farther,  enabled  them  to  talk  to- 
gether in  the  same  way,  so  that  cities  as  far 
apart  as  New  York  or  Boston  and  Omaha 
are  now  actually  within  speaking 
distance  of  each  other. 

More  wonderful  still,  men  sev- 
eral hundred  miles  apart  have  re- 
cently (1908)  telephoned  to  each 
other  without  using  any  conduct- 
ing wires.    They   simply   speak 

through  the  air.    It  is  believed  that  in  time  this  new  method  will 
become  a  practical  success  like  wireless  telegraphy  (§428). 

Of  late  years  the  application  of  electricity  to  the  service  of  man 
has  made  rapid  progress  in  many  ways.  It  rings  fire-alarms,  signals 
the  approach  of  trains,  shows  us  moving  pictures,  speaks  and  sings 
to  us  through  the  phonograph,  drives  various  kinds  of  machinery, 


4*r7*^W 


A  Race  between  an  Automobile 
and  an  Airship 


3 


344       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1876 

propels  cars  over  thousands  of  miles  of  street  and  country  railways, 
is  used  on  some  automobiles,  and,  in  certain  cases,  takes  the  place 
of  the  locomotive  on  steam  railways.  These  things  give  us  good 
reason  for  calling  the  twentieth  century  the  "  Electric  Age." 

Now,  not  satisfied  with  rushing  over  the  astonished  earth  in 
automobiles,  men  are  experimenting  with  flying  machines  in  which 
they  hope  to  navigate  the  air.  If  they  succeed  in  doing  that,  we 
shall  have  to  go  a  step  farther  and  name  our  century  the  "  Aerial, 
Electric  Age . "  1    ^CaJ^  fyy*sy\X  (V^vvyvv^lo^Vv. 

374.  The iTreaJj_oi .  Washmgton^1^1)  >  tne  Geneva  Arbitration 
Tribunal;  Indian  Wars;  Colorado.  Meanwhile  (187 1),  a  very  im- 
portant treaty,2  the  Treaty  of  Washington,  was  made  with  Great 
Britain.  Under  that  treaty  an  Arbitration  Tribunal,  which  met 
at  Geneva,  Switzerland  (1871),  decreed  that  England  should 
pay  the  United  States  $15,500,000  for  damages  done  by  the 
Alabama  and  other  Confederate  war  vessels  built  in  Great  Britain 
(§  329).  Once  such  a  claim  on  our  part  would  probably  have  led 
to  war  between  the  two  countries.  The  fact  that  it  was  peaceably 
settled  showed  what  a  great  change  for  the  better  had  taken  place 
in  the  relations  between  England  and  America. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  us  that  we  either  could  not  or  would  not 
settle  our  disputes  with  the  Western  Indians  in  the  same  peaceable 
way.    The  Modocs  of  southern  Oregon  refused  to  be  removed  from 
their  hunting  grounds,  and  war  ensued  (1872).    Later,  the  Sioux 
tribes,  who  had  been  driven  from  the  Black  Hills  by  gold  seekers, 
made  up  their  minds  that  they  would  not  go  to  Indian  Territory.  , 
General  Custer,  one  of  the  bravest  officers  of  the  army,  attacked 
them  in  their  stronghold  in  Montana.   The  Indians  numbered  nearly  V  v 
ten  to  his  one.   In  a  desperate  fight  Custer  and  his  entire  command     N 
of  several  hundred  men  were  killed  on  the  spot  (1876).   But  in  time 
both  the  Modocs  and  the  Sioux  had  to  yield  to  superior  force. 

A  little  later  in  the  same  year  (1876)  Colorado  entered  the 
Union  as  the  "  Centennial  State." 

1  Edison  invented  the  electrical  apparatus  which  shows  moving  pictures  in  action,  and  his 
electrical  phonograph  reproduces  the  sound  of  the  human  voice  and  of  musical  instruments. 

2  The  Trebly  of  Washington  referred  all  matters  in  dispute  between  the  two  countries  to 
one  or  more  boards  of  arbitrators.   The  Geneva  Tribunal  consisted  of  five  arbitrators. 


1877]  HAYES'  ADMINISTRATION  345 

375.  The  Disputed  Presidential  Election  (1876).  In  the  Pres- 
idential election  (1876)  Mr.  Hayes,  the  Republican  candidate, 
received  a  majority  of  one  of  the  electoral  votes  1  over  his  oppo- 
nent, Samuel  J.  Tilden,  the  Democratic  candidate.  The  Demo- 
crats maintained  that  the  election  had  not  been  fairly  conducted 
and  that  Mr.  Tilden  had  really  received  a  majority  of  the  votes  for 
President.  No  such  dispute  had  ever  arisen  before,  and  it  filled  the 
whole  country  with  alarm.  In  order  to  settle  this  dangerous  con- 
troversy Congress  appointed  an  Electoral  Commission  to  decide 
the  matter.  It  was  composed  of  ten  members  of  Congress  and 
five  justices  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  The  Commis- 
sion finally  decided  in  favor  of  Mr.  Hayes  by  a  vote  of  8  to  7. 

376.  Summary.    President  Grant's  administration  was  marked 

(1)  by  the  completion  of  the  first  railway  across  the  continent; 

(2)  by  the  admission  to  Congress  of  representatives  of  all  the 
seceded  states ;  (3)  by  a  very  important  treaty  with  England ; 
(4)  by  terrible  fires  West  and  East,  which  destroyed  property 
worth  many  millions  of  dollars ;  (5)  by  a  new  coinage  act  which 
dropped  the  silver  dollar  from  our  coins ;  (6)  by  a  severe  business 
panic ;  (7)  by  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  and  by 
the  disputed  presidential  election  of  1876. 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes  (Republican) 

377.  Hayes*  Administration  (Nineteenth  President,  One  Term, 
1877-1881);  Withdrawal  of  Troops  from  the  South;  the  First 
Great  Labor  Strike.  President  Hayes  2  believed  that  there  would 
never  be  permanent  peace  at  the  South  until  the  people  of  that 
section  were  allowed  to  manage  their  own  affairs  without  the  inter- 
ference of  the  national  government.    He  therefore  withdrew  the 

1  See  the  Constitution,  Article  II,  Section  i,  Paragraphs  1-4. 

2  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1822.  He  studied  law,  and  settled  in  Cin- 
cinnati. During  the  Civil  War  he  became  a  brigadier  general  in  the  Union  army.  After  the 
war  he  was  twice  elected  governor  of  Ohio.  In  1876  he  was  elected  President  by  the  Repub- 
licans (William  A.  Wheeler  of  New  York,  Vice  President)  over  Samuel  J.  Tilden  of  New 
York  and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks  of  Indiana,  the  Democratic  candidates.  Mr.  Hayes  had 
but  one  more  of  the  electoral  votes  than  his  opponent.  On  the  dispute  which  followed 
see  §  375. 


346       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1877 

United  States  troops  from  that  part  of  the  country,  trusting  that 
the  whites  and  the  blacks  would  come  to  an  understanding  between 
themselves.  From  that  time  forward  the  "  solid  South  "  —  that  is, 
the  solid  white  vote  of  the  South  —  got  the  control,  and  the  negro 
ceased  to  govern  (§  365).  The  whole  country  was  glad  that  the 
strife  was  over,  and  although  many  Republicans  condemned  the 
President's  action,  the  majority  of  the  people  heartily  approved  it. 

In  the  summer  (f^77),  the  first  great  historic  labor  strike  in 
America  occurred.  The""  employees  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railway  refused  to  work  on  account  of  a  threatened  reduction 
of  wages.  The  strike  spread  to  several  states  and  more  than 
100,000  railway  men  went  out.  At  Pittsburg  serious  riots 
occurred.  A  mob  set  fire  to  railway  freight  houses,  machine 
shops,  and  other  buildings,  thereby  destroying  property  worth 
many  millions.  Order  was  not  finally  restored  until  the  President 
sent  troops  to  Pittsburg  to  prevent  further  destruction.1 

378.  Deepening  the  Chief  Mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  During  Pres- 
ident Hayes'  administration  the  attention  of  Congress  was  partic- 
ularly called  to  the  condition  of  the  Mississippi  below  New  Orleans. 
That  great  river  is  constantly  bringing  down  vast  quantities  of  sand 
and  mud,  which  gradually  fill  up  the  mouths  of  the  stream. 

These  sand  bars  finally  blocked  the  passage  to  such  an  extent 
that  large  and  heavily  loaded  ships  could  pass  over  them  only  with 
the  greatest  difficulty.  On  one  occasion  more  than  fifty  vessels 
were  seen  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  get  to  sea.  Sometimes 
they  were  delayed  there  for  days,  or  weeks,  even,  and  had  at  last 
to  hire  tugboats,  at  great  expense,  to  tow  them  through. 

Finally  (1875),  Captain  Eads  of  St.  Louis,  the  builder  of  the 
great  steel  arch  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  at  that  point,  under- 
took to  open  the  "  South  Pass,"  which  is  one  of  the  five  mouths 
of  the  great  river.  His  plan,  though  not  new,  was  most  ingenious. 
He  had  noticed  that  where  the  river  was  narrow  the  current  was 
strong,  and  so  deposited  but  little  mud  to  fill  up  the  channel.  He 
said  to  himself,  By  building  new  banks  on  each  side,  near  the 

1  See  Carroll  D.  Wright  on  Historic  Strikes,  in  the  North  American  Review,  June,  1902 
and  E.  B.  Andrews'  «  The  United  States  in  Our  Time." 


1878-1879]    "DOLLAR  OF  OUR  FATHERS"  RESTORED       347 

mouth  of  the  river,  I  can  narrow  the  channel  and  increase  the 
force  of  the  current  to  such  a  degree  that  it  will  carry  all  the  sand 
and  mud  out  to  sea.  Then  when  the  bar  is  dredged  through  it 
will  never  form  again. 

Congress  gave  him  permission  to  try  the  experiment.  He  set 
to  work,  and  in  four  years  proved  the  truth  of  his  idea  (1879). 
Since  then,  the  Mississippi,  like  a  well-behaved  river,  has  swept 
out  its  own  channel,  and  large  ocean  steamers  can  pass  up  to 
New  Orleans,  or  out  to  sea,  without  difficulty  or  expense.  Cap- 
tain Eads'  great  work  has  been  of  immense  benefit,  for  the  export 
commerce  of  New  Orleans  is  the  largest  of  any  city  in  America 
except  New  York.1  ^i    \^^  jiv^U- 

379.  The  Government  ^stores  the  "Dollar  of  our  Fathers,,; 
"Greenbacks"  become  as  Good  as  Gold.  We  have  seen  (§373) 
that  Congress  dropped  the  silver  dollar  from  our  coins  (1873). 
Many  people,  especially  Western  and  Southern  farmers  who  were 
pressed  for  money,  demanded  that  the  government  should  restore 
"the  dollar  of  our  fathers."  The  Western  silver-mine  ownersC\^ 
joined  in  the  cry  for  "  the  free  and  unlimited  coinage  of  silver." 
Congress  would  not  grant  that,  but  passed  a  bill  restoring  the 
silver  dollar  (1878).2  President  Hayes  promptly  vetoed  it.  He 
said  that  the  market  value,  by  weight,  of  a  standard  silver  dollar 
was  then  only  about  ninety-two  cents.  On  this  account  he  held 
that  it  would  be  a  dishonest  act  for  the  government  to  issue  such 
a  coin.  But  a  majority  in  Congress  believed  that  silver  would  rise 
in  value  and  they  passed  the  bill  over  his  veto.3  The  Treasury 
Department  then  began  buying  silver  by  the  car  load,  and  the 
mint  began  turning  out  silver  dollars  by  the  ton. 

The  paper  money  called  "  greenbacks,"  4  which  the  government 
first  issued  during  the  Civil  War,  and  with  which  it  paid  part 

1  For  an  interesting  account  of  Captain  Eads'  work,  see  Scribner's  Magazine,  Vol.  XIX, 
"The  Mississippi  Jetties"  (illustrated).   In  1908  the  Southwest  Pass  was  deepened. 

2  This  was  the  Bland-Allison  Silver  Purchase  and  Coinage  Act.  It  required  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  to  purchase  from  $2,000,000  to  $4,000,000  worth  of  silver  every  month  and  coin  it 
into  standard  dollars.   This  act  continued  in  force  for  twelve  years,  during  which  time  nearly      .  * 
$400,000,000  in  silver  dollars  were  coined  and  stored  in  the  Treasury  vaults  at  Washington, 

8  See  the  Constitution,  Article  I,  Section  7,  Paragraph  2. 

*  A  name  derived  from  the  color  of  the  backs  of  the  bills  (§  324). 


■I 


348       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1879-1881 

of  its  enormous  expenses,  was  worth  less  than  gold.  At  one  time 
(summer  of  1864)  it  took  nearly  three  dollars  in  "greenbacks" 
to  purchase  as  much  as  a  single  dollar  in  gold  would  buy.  That 
meant  that  the  people  then  had  so  little  confidence  in  the  power 
of  the  government  to  do  as  it  agreed  that  its  paper  promise  of  pay- 
ment stamped  "one  dollar"  was  worth  only  about  thirty-five  cents. 

But  after  the  war,  when  the  government  began  to  pay  off  its 
debt,  the  feeling  changed.  Then  this  paper  money  rose  in  value, 
until  at  last  a  "  greenback  "  dollar  would  buy  quite  as  much  as  a 
gold  dollar.  fic^ui  ^^Ia^   «jL    ■    j^*^>ML 

Finally,  on  New  Year  s  Day  (1879), the  Treasurer  of  the  United 
States  stood  ready  to  give  gold  coin  in  exchange  for  "greenbacks.' 
This  strengthened  the  credit  of  the  government  and  enabled  it  to 
borrow  all  the  money  it  wanted  (to  meet  the  debt  as  it  fell  due)  at 
very  low  rates  of  interest. 

380.  Summary.  The  four  most  important  events  of  Mr.  Hayes' 
^presidency  were  (1)  his  withdrawal  of  troops  from  the  South; 
(2)  the  great  railway  and  coal  strikes ;  (3)  the  deepening  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi;  (4)  the  purchase  of  large  quantities  of 
silver  which  was  coined  into  dollars  ;  (5)  the  redemption  of  "green- 
backs "  in  gold  and  the  reduction  of  the  expenses  of  the  govern- 
ment in  paying  interest  on  its  debt. 


James  A.  Garfield  and  Chester  A.  Arthur  (Republican) 

381.  Garfield's  and  Arthur's  Administrations  (Twentieth  and 
Twenty-first  Presidents,  One  Term,  1881-1885);  Assassination 
of  the  President;  Civil  Service  Reform.  In  the  summer  follow- 
ing his  inauguration  President  Garfield 1  was  shot  by  a  disap- 
pointed office  seeker  named  Guiteau.2    He  died  in  the  autumn 

1  James  A.  Garfield  was  born  in  Ohio,  1831 ;  died,  1881.  His  early  life  was  passed  in 
hardship  and  poverty.  By  dint  of  hard  work  he  fitted  himself  for  college,  and  graduated 
at  Williams  College,  Massachusetts.  He  entered  the  Union  army,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  general.  In  1863  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  later  was  chosen  United 
States  senator.  In  1880  he  was  elected  President  (Chester  A.  Arthur  of  New  York,  Vice 
President)  over  General  W.  S.  Hancock  of  Pennsylvania  and  William  H.  English  of  Indiana, 
the  Democratic  candidates. 

2  Guiteau  was  convicted  of  the  murder  and  hanged. 


1881-1883]    THE  EAST  RIVER  SUSPENSION  BRIDGE  349 

from  the  effects  of  the  wound,  and  Vice  President  Arthur  be- 
came President.1 

The  murder  of  Garfield  led  to  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  Con- 
gress to  relieve  the  President  from  the  necessity  of  appointing 
thousands2  of  persons  to  government  offices  merely  as  a  reward 
for  their  having  worked,  or  spent  money,  to  get  him  elected. 

A  law  called  the  Civil-Service  Reform  Act  was  passed  in  1883. 
It  gave  the  President  power  to  appoint  commissioners  to  examine 
persons  applying  for  certain  grades  of  government  offices  known 
as  the  civil  service,  that  is,  all  outside  of  the  military  or  naval 
service.  These  commissioners  recommend  those  who  show  them- 
selves best  fitted  to  do  the  work.  Out  of  the  list  they  furnish, 
the  President  can  then  make  his  selection. 

This  method  takes  off  the  President's  hands  a  vast  amount  of 
very  laborious  work.  It  also  saves  his  time,  and  spares  him  the 
vexation  of  having  to  listen  to  that  class  —  found  even  among 
office  seekers  —  who  cry  night  and  day,  like  professional  beggars, 
"Give!"   "Give!" 

Since  then  the  operation  of  this  act  has  been  greatly  extended. 
To-day  about  two  thirds  of  the  whole  number  of  civil  offices  and 
positions  under  the  government  are  subject  to  its  rules. 

Once  the  applicants  for  such  places  sought  them  as  a  personal 
favor,  but  now  under  the  "  merit  system  "  all  have  an  equal  oppor- 
tunity to  attain  government  employment.  Those  who  get  places 
have  the  right  to  keep  them  so  long  as  they  show  themselves 
faithful  and  capable. 

382.  The  East  River  Suspension  Bridge;  Cheap  Postage;  the_ 
AlienjCojitract  Labor  Act.    An  illustration  of  our  steadily  growing 
prosperity  and  enterprise  was  given  in  the  completion  of  the  great 
East  River  Suspension  Bridge3  connecting  New  York  City  with 

1  See  the  Constitution,  Article  II,  Section  i,  Paragraph  6. 

2  At  present  there  are  nearly  300,000  persons  employed  in  the  civil  service  of  the  gov- 
ernment. This  number  includes  all  who  are  employed  in  the  post-office  service,  but  not 
those  in  the  diplomatic  and  consular  departments.  The  total  number  of  clerks  and  others 
employed  by  the  government  in  the  District  of  Columbia  is  over  25,000. 

8  The  bridge  was  begun  by  John  A.  Roebling  of  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  the  inventor  of 
wire  suspension  bridges.  Mr.  Roebling  only  lived  to  complete  the  plan  of  the  great  struc- 
ture.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  W.  A.  Roebling,  who  finished  the  work. 


350       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1883 


Brooklyn  (1883).  This  bridge  was  the  first  one  of  the  kind  begun 
by  the  leading  city  of  America.  Up  to  that  time  the  only  means 
of  communication  across  the  river  was  by  lines  of  ferryboats.  The 
cost  of  the  work  was  $1 5,000,000,  —  an  amount  double  that  of  the 
entire  annual  expense  of  carrying  on  the  government  of  the  United 
States  in  the  first  years  of  Washington's  presidency.  It  took  four- 
teen years  to  finish  the  structure,  which  has  a  total  length  of  over  a 
mile.  Since  then  three  more  great  bridges  have  been  built  across 
the  East  River,  connecting  New  York  with  Long  Island  (§  408). 


The  East  River  Suspension  Bridge 

In  addition  to  these  colossal  structures,  fourteen  tunnels  have 
recently  been  completed,  at  a  cost  of  about  $70,000,000,  under  the 
East  and  North  or  Hudson  rivers.  They  connect  the  city  with 
Long  Island  and  New  Jersey.  Through  them  fast  electric  trains 
loaded  with  passengers  are  constantly  passing  in  both  directions. 
New  York  is  now  practically  about  as  accessible  as  though  it  was 
on  the  mainland  instead  of  on  the  island  of  Manhattan. 

Still  another  evidence  of  the  prosperity  of  the  country  was  the 
reduction  of  postage  (1883)  on  letters,  weighing  not  more  than 


1884-1885]  THE  "NEW  SOUTH"  351 

half  an  ounce,  from  three  cents  to  two.  Two  years  afterward 
(1885),  the  weight  of  a  letter  which  might  be  sent  at  this  low 
rate  was  increased  to  a  full  ounce.  For  two  cents  we  can  now 
send  a  thick  letter  to  any  part  of  the  United  States  or  our  island 
possessions,  thus  covering  a  distance,  from  New  York  to  Manila, 
of  over  1 1,000  miles. 

The  same  year  (1885)  Congress  passed  the  Alien  Contract 
Labor  Act.  Its  object  was  to  protect  American  workmen  against 
Tne  importation  of  foreign  workmen  (§  280).  The  act  prohibited 
any  company  or  other  persons  from  bringing  foreigners  into  the 
United  States  under  contract  to  perform  labor  here.  The  only 
exceptions  made  by  this  law  were  in  the  case  of  those  who  were 
brought  over  to  do  housework  or  other  domestic  service,  and 
skilled  workmen  who  should  be  needed  here  to  help  establish 
some  new  trade  or  industry. 

383.  The  New  Orleans  Cotton  Centennial  Exhibition;  the  " New 
South."  Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution  (1 784) 
eight  bags  of  cotton  were  exported  from  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, to  England  (§205).  It  was  the  first  shipment  of  the  kind 
ever  made  from  the  United  States.  In  time  this  country  came  to 
supply  nearly  all  the  cotton  used  in  Great  Britain  and  Europe, 
and  the  value  of  the  crop  grew  to  be  so  great  that  it  was  a  com- 
mon saying  at  the  South,  "  Cotton  is  king." 

An  exhibition  was  opened JjjW<\)  at  Npw  Qrje^ng  to  mark  the 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  first  export  of  that  product.  This  city 
and  Galveston  have  since  become  the  two  largest  cotton  ports  in 
America.  The  real  importance  of  that  Centennial  Exhibition  lay 
in  the  fact  of  its  showing  that  the  South  had  so  entirely  changed 
that  it  could  rightfully  be  called  the  "  New  South." 

384.  The  Progress  made  by  New  Orleans  an  Illustration  of 
what  the  "  New  South  "  is  doing.  Take  New  Orleans  itself  as 
an  illustration.  Before  the  war  it  had  but  a  single  important  line 
of  railway  entering  the  city ;  now  it  has  six  great  lines. 

Before  the  war  it  was  almost  wholly  a  commercial  city,  and  its 
manufactures  practically  counted  for  nothing.  To-day,  thanks  in 
large  measure  to  Captain  Eads'  great  work  (§  378),  its  commerce 


352       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1885 


has  gained  enormously.   Its  manufactures  too  are  rapidly  increasing ; 
it  now  makes  great  quantities  of  goods  which  it  formerly  bought. 

385.  The  South  no  longer  a  purely  Agricultural  Country;  its 
Manufactures;  its  Prosperity ;  the  "  Freedmen  " ;  Education.  The 
change  that  has  taken  place  in  New  Orleans  shows  us  what  has 
been  going  on  throughout  the  South.  When  the  war  broke  out 
it  was  almost  purely  an  agricultural  country ;  since  then  many 
thousand  new  manufacturing  and  mining  enterprises  have  been 
started,  including  the  production  of  cotton-seed  oil,1  and  many 

thousands  of  miles 
of  railway  have  been 
built.  Such  cities  as 
the  great  cotton  port  of 
Galveston,  with  such 
manufacturing  cen- 
ters as  Chattanooga, 
Augusta,  Atlanta, 
and  Birmingham,  are 
"  hives  of  industry." 
Their  commerce,  their 
cotton  mills,  iron 
mills,  and  other  im- 
portant works  have 
become  rivals  of  those 
in  the  North  or  West. 
They  possess  the  great 
advantage  of  having  their  supplies  of  raw  material  —  their  cotton, 
iron,  lumber  —  at  the  very  doors  of  their  factories  and  mills,  with 
unlimited  quantities  of  coal  for  fuel,  and,  in  some  cases,  immense 
water  power2  besides. 

But  this  is  not  all.  A  new  spirit  shows  itself  in  the  South. 
Free  labor  is  accomplishing  double  what  slave  labor  did.  In  i860 
the  South  produced  less  than  5,000,000  bales  of  cotton;  now  it 

1  Before  the  war  the  seed  was  thrown  away  or  burned  as  useless.  Now  many  millions  of 
dollars  are  invested  in  its  production.  The  oil  is  used  for  salad  oil,  for  making  soap,  and  for 
many  other  purposes. 

2  Augusta,  Spartanburg,  and  Columbus  have  great  water  power. 


The  New  South 


1885]  CLEVELAND'S  ADMINISTRATION  353 

sometimes  produces  over  13,000,000;  the  white  man  does  a  part 
of  the  work ;  the  negro  does  the  rest.  The  "  freedmen  "  share 
in  this  prosperity ;  when  the  war  broke  out  they  could  not  call 
even  themselves  their  own  ;  to-day  they  are  taxed  for  several  hun- 
dred million  dollars'  worth  of  property,  which  they  have  fairly 
made  and  just  as  fairly  enjoy. 

In  education  the  progress  has  been  equally  great.1  Common 
schools  have  multiplied  all  through  the  South,  —  they  are  free  to 
black  and  white  alike,  though  the  schools  are  separate,  —  and  the 
negro  has  not  only  many  thousand  teachers  of  his  own  race,  but 
great  numbers  of  white  teachers  besides.  If  he  cannot  get  on 
now,  the  fault  will  be  mainly  his  own. 

386.  Summary.  The  principal  events  of  the  Garfield  and 
Arthur  administrations  were  (1)  the  assassination  of  President  Gar- 
field, followed  by  yice  President  Arthur's  succession  ;  (2)  the  Civil 
Service  Reform  Act ;  (3)  the  Alien  Contract  Labor  Act,  intended 
to  protect  American  workmen  against  the  importation  of  foreign 
workmen. 

During  Arthur's  presidency  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country 
was  shown  by  the  completion  of  the  East  River  Suspension  Bridge 
(followed  many  years  later  by  three  other  great  bridges  and  by  four- 
teen tunnels).  His  administration  was  also  marked  by  the  reduc- 
tion in  the  rate  of  letter  postage,  and  by  the  immense  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  "  New  South." 

Grover  Cleveland  (Democrat) 

387.  Cleveland's  Administration  (Twenty-second  President,  One 
Term,  1885-1889).  The  Republican  party  had  held  control  of  the 
government  ever  since  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln ;  Grover 

1  In  1882  Paul  Tulane,  of  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  but  for  more  than  half  a  century  a 
resident  of  New  Orleans,  left  over  #1,000,000  to  found  a  university  for  the  education  of  white 
youth  in  that  city.  Vanderbilt  University  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  is  another  example  of  the 
same  kind.  In  1866  George  Peabody  of  Danvers,  Massachusetts  (the  London  banker),  gave 
a  sum  of  money,  which  he  later  increased  to  £3,500,000,  for  the  promotion  of  education  at 
the  South.  In  1882  John  F.  Slater  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  gave  #1,000,000  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  "  freedmen  "  at  the  South.  •  To-day  the  southern  states  are  spending  very  large 
sums  on  common-  and  high-school  education. 


354       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Cleveland  *  was  the  first  Democratic  President  that  had  been  in- 
augurated since  Buchanan  —  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
before  (§310). 

388.  The  "Knights  of  Labor  ";  the  "Black  List"  and  the 
"Boycott";  the  "American  Federation  of  Labor";  the  Depart- 
ments of  Labor  and  of  Agriculture.  For  a  number  of  years  a 
large  part  of  the,  laboring  men  of  the  country  had  been  members 
of  a  society  or  union  known  as  the  "  Knights  of  Labor"  (1869). 
The  purpose  of  the  society  was  to  secure  for  its  members  the 

power  of  united  action  in  all  matters 
that  concerned  their  interest. 

In  this,  as  in  every  country,  there 
had  been  at  times  serious  disputes  be- 
tween employers  and  workmen ;  one 
object  of  the  "  Knights  of  Labor  "  was 
to  get  such  disputes  settled  in  a  way 
satisfactory  to  both  parties.  Where 
this  could  not  be  done,  the  labor  union 
might  order  its  members  to  quit  work 
until  they  either  got  the  terms  they 
asked,  or  were  compelled  to  accept 
those  offered  by  the  employers.  In 
some  instances,  when  the  union  men 
struck,  they  refused  to  allow  men  who  were  not  "  Knights  of 
Labor  "  to  take  their  places,  and  used  force  to  prevent  them. 

The  employers,  on  the  other  hand,  formed  combinations  to 
protect  their  own  interests.  In  some  cases  they  kept  a  "  black 
list "  on  which  they  recorded  the  names  of  those  laboring  men  who 
were  thought  to  be  unreasonable  in  their  demands  for  higher  pay  or 
shorter  hours,  or  whose  influence  over  the  other  men  was  believed 
to  be  injurious.    Such  men  often  found  it  impossible  to  get  work. 

1  Grover  Cleveland  was  born  in  Caldwell,  New  Jersey,  in  1837 ;  died,  1908.  His  father 
soon  after  moved  to  New  York  state,  and  Grover  began  the  study  of  law  in  Buffalo,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  In  1881  he  was  elected  mayor  of  that  city,  and  the  year  following  he  became 
governor  of  New  York.  In  1884  Mr.  Cleveland  was  elected  President  (Thomas  A.  Hendricks 
of  Indiana,  Vice  President)  by  the  Democrats,  over  James  G.  Blaine  of  Maine  and  John  A. 
Logan  of  Illinois,  the  Republican  candidates.  Many  "  Independent  Republicans,"  or  "  Mug- 
wumps," as  they  were  called,  voted  for  Mr.  Cleveland. 


Grover  Cleveland 


THE  YEAR  OF  STRIKES  355 

The  "  Knights,"  however,  were  not  without  their  weapon.  They 
could  refuse  to  have  any  dealings  with  an  employer  who  used  the 
"  black  list "  ;  and  furthermore,  they  could,  and  did,  use  their  in- 
fluence to  prevent  others  from  having  any  dealings  with  him.  This 
was  called  "  boycotting."  J  It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  "black 
list "  or  the  "  boycott "  came  first ;  but  in  President  Cleveland's 
administration  both  were  extensively  used,  and  both  caused  im- 
mense loss  without  apparently  gaining  any  very  decided  advantage 
for  either  side. 

More  recently  the  "American  Federation  of  Labor"  was  or- 
ganized (1886).  It  is  a  combination  of  many  different  labor 
"•"■;  unions.  Its  object  is  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  great  body 
of  workingmen  in  the  United  States.  It  is  one  of  the  largest 
and  strongest  organizations  of  the  kind  in  the  world. 

The  growing  influence  of  organized  labor  induced  Congress  to 
create  the  National  Labor  Bureau  (1884),  now  included  in  the 
new  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor2  (1903).  The  Bureau 
collects  and  publishes  important  facts  respecting  the  condition, 
rate  of  wages,  and  general  progress  of  the  laboring  classes  of  the 
country.  The  Department  is  ably  managed,  and  makes  frequent 
reports  which  are  of  great  value  not  only  to  those  who  sell  or 
hire  labor,  but  to  the  whole  community  besides. 

A  few  years  later  (1889)  Congress  made  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  one  of  the  leading  offices  of  the  government.  This 
Department  has  charge  of  all  matters  which  are  of  interest  to  the 
farming  population.  It  has  proved  itself  very  helpful  to  that  great 
army  of  workers  who  till  the  soil  and  who  furnish  the  people  of 
this  country  with  their  "  daily  bread." 

389.  The  Year  of  Strikes;  the  Chicago  Anarchists.  The  year 
(1886)  in  which  the  "American  Federation  of  Labor"  was  organ- 
ized (§  388)  may  be  called  the  year  of  labor  strikes.   They  began  very 

1  The  word  "boycott"  came  from  Captain  Boycott,  the  name  of  an  English  farmer  and 
land  agent  in  Ireland.  In  1880  he  became  so  much  disliked  that  the  people  of  the  dis- 
trict where  he  lived  refused  to  work  for,  buy  from,  sell  to,  or  have  any  dealings  whatever 
with  him. 

2  The  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor  was  established  to  promote  foreign  and 
domestic  commerce,  mining,  manufacturing  and  shipping  industries,  and  the  labor  and 
transportation  interests  of  the  United  States. 


35^       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

early  in  the  spring,  with  the  horse-car  drivers  and  conductors  in  New 
York  ;  and  they  gradually  extended,  in  one  form  or  another,  to  points 
as  far  west  as  Nebraska  and  as  far  south  as  New  Orleans  (§  377). 

In  many  cases  the  strikers  demanded  that  the  working  day  be 
shortened  to  eight  hours ;  in  other  cases,  they  asked  an  increase 
of  wages.  In  Chicago  40,000  men  left  their  employments,  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  factories  and  workshops  of  the  city  were 
closed.  Soon  the  men  engaged  in  handling  freight  at  the  different  '  ' 
railway  freight  houses  in  the  city  joined  their  fellow-workmen,  and  ■  J' 
all  movement  or  delivery  of  goods  came  to  a  stop.  An  excited 
meeting  was  held  in  Haymarket  Square.  The  police,  fearing  a 
riot,  ordered  the  crowd  to  disperse.  At  that  moment  some  one 
threw  a  dynamite  bomb  at  the  police,  which  killed  or  wounded  a 
large  number  of  them.  The  officers  then  charged  on  the  crowd 
with  their  revolvers  and  arrested  the  ringleaders  of  the  mob.  All 
but  one  were  of  foreign  birth.  They  belonged  to  a  small  but  dan- 
gerous class  calling  themselves  anarchists. 

The  object  of  the  anarchist  is  to  overthrow  all  forms  of  gov- 
ernment, either  by  peaceable  means,  or  —  as  in  the  case  of  the 
men  arrested  at  Chicago  —  by  murder  and  the  destruction  of  prop- 
erty. The  workingmen  of  Chicago,  and  throughout  the  country, 
expressed  their  horror  of  such  methods,  and  denounced  the  anar- 
chists as  enemies  of  the  interests  of  labor  and  of  society.  Four 
of  the  rioters  were  tried,  convicted  of  murder,  and  hanged. 

390.  Growth  of  Great  Corporations  and  "  Trusts."  From  the 
time  of  which  we  are  speaking  men  engaged  in  every  kind  of  work 
or  enterprise  have  been  more  and  more  inclined  to  form  associations. 
We  have  seen  in  a  previous  section  (§  388)  how  labor  organized  for 
self -protection  and  to  obtain  shorter  hours  or  higher  wages. 

In  the  same  way  capitalists  have  united  in  forming  companies 
for  carrying  on  business  on  a  scale  never  before  attempted. 

The  object  sought  by  these  gigantic  corporations  and  "trusts  "  l 
is  generally  to  obtain  more  effective  results,  with  less  competition, 
at  smaller  cost,  and  at  larger  profit  to  the  stockholders. 

1  "  Trusts " :  a  "  trust "  is  a  combination  of  several  independent  or  rival  companies 
formed  in  order  to  work  together  for  the  interest  of  all  concerned. 


188CJ-] 


THE  STATUE  OF  LIBERTY 


357 


For  instance,  there  were  once  many  individual  men  or  small 
companies  engaged  in  producing  coal  oil.  Now  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  (organized  in  1881)  controls  most  of  the  output  of  petro- 
leum in  the  United  States,  and  directly  or  indirectly  influences 
the  trade  of  the  world  in  this  important  product. 

So,  too,  "  trusts  "  have  been  formed,  having  in  the  aggregate 
many  hundreds  of  millions  of  capital,  for  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  iron,  steel,  sugar,  cotton-seed  oil,  tobacco, 
india  rubber,  and  other  staple  products. 

In  like  manner  (since  1881)  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company  has  absorbed,  by  purchase  or  by 
lease,  the  great  majority  of  the  telegraph  lines  in  the 
United  States,  while  the  Bell  Telephone  Company 
"  practically  conducts  the  chief  part  of  the  telephone 
business  "  of  the  country.    Again,  many  independ- 
ent or  competing  railway  lines 
have  consolidated  into  through 
systems  often  extending  across 
the  continent. 

The  same  movement  is  seen 
operating  in  a  different  way  in 
the  establishment  of  the  "depart- 
ment stores  "  of  our  large  cities. 
Formerly  the  business  they  con- 
duct was  in  the  hands  of  a  number 
of  small  dealers,  but  now  a  cus- 
tomer can  buy,  under  one  roof,  almost  anything  he  wants,  from  a 
paper  of  pins  to  a  barrel  of  flour,  or  a  set  of  parlor  furniture. 

These  changes  have  revolutionized  business  in  great  degree 
and  are  of  deep  interest  to  every  one.  Within  a  few  years  the 
government  has  taken  action  for  the  purpose  of  supervising  and 
regulating  the  methods  by  which  the  great  railways  and  "  trusts  " 
carry  on  their  work. 

391.  The  Statue  of  Liberty.  The  year  after  President  Cleve- 
land entered  office,  the  colossal  statue  of  "  Liberty  enlightening 
the  World "   was  unveiled  and   lighted    in  the  harbor  of  New 


The  Statue  of  Liberty 


358       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1886-1887 

York  (1886).  The  statue  —  the  largest  of  the  kind  ever  made 
—  was  presented  to  the  United  States  by  citizens  of  the  Republic 
of  France,  as  a  memorial  of  their  friendly  feeling  toward  the 
people  of  this  country,  and  as  an  expression  of  their  confidence 
in  the  stability  of  the  American  government. 

The  statue  is  of  bronze,  and  represents  the  goddess  of  Liberty 
holding  a  lighted  torch,  to  show  the  way  to  those  who  are  seeking 
the  shores  of  the  New 'World. 

392.  Three  Important  Laws  (the  Presidential  Succession; 
Presidential  Elections;  Interstate  Railways).  During  President 
Cleveland's  administration  three  very  important  laws  were  passed 
by  Congress. 

The  first  law,  the  Presidential  Succession  Act  (188Q,  provided,  .' 
in  case  of  the  death,  removal,  or  disability  of  both  the  President 
and  the  Vice  President,  that  the  Secretary  of  State  (followed,  if 
necessary,  by  the  other  six  members  who  then  constituted  the 
Cabinet) *  should  succeed  to  the  office  of  President. 

The  second  law,  the  Electoral  Count  Act  (1887),  laid  down  cer- 
tain rules  for  counting  the  electoral  votes,  in  order  to  prevent  all 
uncertainty  and  dispute  in  regard  to  the  election  of  the  President, 
such  as  had  occurred  in  the  case  of  President  Hayes  (§  375). 

The  third  law  (1887),  the  Interstate  Commerce  Act,  was  en- 
acted for  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  charges  made  by  all  rail- 
ways which  pass  from  one  state  to  another,  the  object  being  to 
secure  fair  and  uniform  rates  both  for  passengers  and  freight. 
Nearly  twenty  years  later  this  law  was  supplemented  and  strength- 
ened by  the  Railway  Rate  Act  (ijp&)  (§  431)- 

393.  Summary.  The  principal  events  of  President  Cleveland's 
administration  were  (1)  the  widely  extended  labor  strikes ;  (2)  the 
anarchist  riot  in  Chicago ;  (3)  the  growth  of  labor  unions  and  of 
great  corporations ;  (4)  the  passage  of  three  important  laws  relat- 
ing to  the  succession  and  the  election  of  the  President  and  to 
interstate  commerce. 

1  The  Cabinet  now  consists  of  nine  officers:  (i)  the  Secretary  of  State;  (2)  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury ;  (3)  the  Secretary  of  War ;  (4)  the  Attorney-General ;  (5)  the  Post- 
master-General ;  (6)  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  (7)  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  (8)  the 
Secretary  of  Agriculture  (1889) ;  (9)  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  (1903). 


HARRISON'S  ADMINISTRATION  359 

Benjamin  Harrison  (Republican)1 

394.  Harrison's  Administration  (Twenty-third  President,  1889- 
1893) ;  Opening  of  Oklahoma ;  how  Cities  spring  up  in  the  Far  West. 

In  the  center  of  Indian  Territory  there  was  a  large  district  called, 
in  the  Indian  language,  Oklahoma,  or  the  "  Beautiful  Land." 
This  tract  was  finally  purchased  from  the  Indians  by  the  United 
States  (1889). 

On  the  2  2d  of  April  of  that  year  some  fifty  thousand  persons 
were  waiting  impatiently  on  the  borders  of  Oklahoma  for  President 
Harrison's  signal  giving  them  permission  to  enter  and  take  up 
lands  in  the  coveted  region.  At  precisely  twelve  o'clock,  noon,  of 
that  day,  the  blast  of  a  bugle  announced  that  Oklahoma  was  open 
to  settlement.  Instantly  an  avalanche  of  "  boomers  "  rushed  wildly 
across  the  line,  each  one  eager  to  get  the  first  chance.  Towns 
made  of  rough  board  shanties  and  of  tents  sprang  up  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  chief  of  these  were  Oklahoma  City  and  Guthrie.  At 
the  end  of  four  months  the  latter  had  a  population  of  about  5000, 
with  four  daily  papers  and  six  banks ;  and  arrangements  were 
made  to  start  a  line  of  street  cars  and  light  the  city  with  electricity. 

395.  Admission  of  Six  New  States;  Our  New  Ships  of  War; 
Woman  Suffrage.  In  November  (1889)  the  President  declared 
the  four  new  states  of  Montana,  Washington,  North  Dakota,  and 
South  Dakota  admitted  to  the  Union.  The  next  summer  (1890) 
Idaho  and  Wyoming  were  added,  making  a  total  at  that  date  of 
forty-four. 

The  power  of  the  American  nation  manifests  itself  not  only 
on  the  continent  but  on  the  ocean.    The  old,  worn-out  wooden 

1  Benjamin  Harrison  was  born  at  North  Bend,  Ohio,  in  1833  ;  died,  1901.  He  was  a  grand- 
son of  President  W.  H.  Harrison  (§282),  and  his  great-grandfather,  Benjamin  Harrison,  was 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Mr.  Harrison  studied  law,  and  opened 
an  office  at  Indianapolis.  In  1862  he  entered  the  Union  army  a6  a  second  lieutenant  of  Indi- 
ana volunteers.  Later,  he  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Seventieth  Indiana  Regiment. 
Near  the  close  of  the  war  he  received  the  title  of  brigadier  general  of  volunteers.  In  1880 
he  was  elected  United  States  senator.  In  1888  he  was  elected  President  by  the  Republi- 
cans (Levi  P.  Morton  of  New  York,  Vice  President)  over  Grover  Cleveland  of  New  York 
and  Allen  G.  Thurman  of  Ohio,  the  Democratic  candidates.  The  chief  political  issue  in  the 
election  was  trie  question  whether  the  United  States  should  adopt  the  Democratic  policy 
of  a  reduction  of  tariff,  or  that  of  protection  advocated  by  the  Republicans. 


$6o      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1890 

vessels  which  made  up  a  large  part  of  our  navy  have  been  grad- 
ually replaced  (since  1884)  by  a  fleet  of  magnificent  steel  war 
steamers,  named  generally  after  states  and  cities.1  Our  new  navy 
first  showed  its  effective  fighting  power  (1898)  in  the  war  with 
Spain  (§§  41 5,  417).  Nine  years  later  a  great  fleet  of  these  vessels 
started  on  their  famous  cruise  round  the  world  (§  431). 

The  state  of  Wyoming  was  the  first  admitted  to  the  Union, 
since  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  in  which  women  may 
vote2  and  hold  office  the  same  as  men.  Colorado  (1893)  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  Wyoming,  and  (1894)  elected  three  women 
to  the  legislature.  Utah  and  Idaho  likewise  granted  (1896)  equal 
suffrage  to  men  and  women.  Since  then  the  states  of  Wash- 
ington and  California  have  granted  it  —  making  six  in  all.  To-day 
American  women  have  educational  opportunities  equal  to  those 
of  men,  and  they  can  enter  any  field  of  work  which  they  are  likely 
to  choose. 

396.  The  New  Pension  Act ;  the  Sherman  Silver  Purchase  and 
Coinage  Act;  the  McKinley  Protective  Tariff.  Early  in  Harri- 
son's administration  Congress  passed  (1890)  three  very  important 
laws  relating  directly  or  indirectly  to  getting,  coining,  or  spending 
money.  The  first  was  the  new  Pension  Act.  This  added  nearly 
480,000  names  to  the  list  of  "  invalid  soldiers  "  or  their  widows, 
to  whom  the  government  pays  a  sum  of  money  each  year.  The 
whole  number  of  pensioners,  including  a  considerable  number 
added  by  our  war  with  Spain,  was  (1909)  nearly  a  million.  They 
draw  more  than  $150,000,000  a  year,  or  over  $400,000  a  day. 

Many  people  still  thought  that  we  were  not  buying  silver  enough 
(§  379K  For  this  reasorj.  Congress  repealed  the  law  of  1877,  and 
passed  trie  Sherman  Silver  Purchase  and  Coinage  Act  (1890).  It 
directed  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  buy  4,500,000  ounces 
of  silver,  or  more  than   150  tons,  every  month.    Provision  was 

1  The  total  number  of  vessels  of  war  in  the  United  States  navy  at  the  close  of  1911 
(including  26  first-class  battleships)  was  214;  or  including  vessels  of  all  kinds,  in  service,  in 
course  of  construction,  or  authorized,  it  was  381. 

2  Women  voted  in  New  Jersey  from  1800  to  1807.  Since  1869  they  have  voted  at  all 
elections  in  Wyoming.  Partial  woman  suffrage  (especially  the  power  to  vote  on  questions 
relating  to  schools)  now  exists  in  nearly  all  the  states. 


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1890-1891]        THE  PATENT  OFFICE  CENTENNIAL  361 

made  for  coining  a  part  of  this  into  dollars.1  These  enormous 
purchases  had  the  effect  of  raising  the  value  of  silver  for  a  brief 
period.  But  the  price  of  the  "white  metal"  soon  began  to  fall 
again.  The  government  then  found  itself  in  a  very  unpleasant  pre- 
dicament, for  the  more  silver  it  piled  up  in  the  Treasury  vaults 
the  more  that  silver  shrank  in  value.  A  dollar  that  was  worth 
81  cents,  by  weight,  in  1890,  soon  dropped  to  61  cents. 

In  the  autumn  Congress  enacted  the  McKinley  Protective 
Tariff.2  Its  main  object  was  to  protect  American  products,  such 
as  wool,  for  example,  and  American  manufactures  against  foreign 
competition. 

397.  The  Census  of  1890;  the  Patent  Office  Centennial;  the 
Homestead  Strike.  The  Centennial  census  of  the  United  States 
(1890)  reported  the  total  population  at  over  62,000,000.  Since 
the  first  national  census  was  taken  in  1790  we  had  gained  more 
than  58,000,000  of  people,  and  had  taken  possession  of  the 
entire  breadth  of  the  continent,  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

The  next  spring  (1891)  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington  cele- 
brated its  hundredth  birthday.  It  issued  its  first  patent  (for  mak- 
ing potash  for  the  manufacture  of  soap)  in  1790 ;  by  1891  it  had 
issued  more  than  450,000.  These  patents  show  that  American 
inventive  genius  has  entered  every  field  which  thought  and  skill 
can  occupy.  Our  labor-saving  machines  are  the  most  wonderful 
in  the  world.  They  are  driven  by  hand,  by  horse  power,  by  wind, 
water,   steam,  gas,  and  electricity,  and  they  do  so  many  kinds 

1  The  Director  of  the  Mint  stated  that  between  1873  and  1889  the  value  of  the  silver 
dollar  fell  gradually  from  a  fraction  over  100  cents  in  1873,  to  about  72  cents  in  1889.  In 
1890  it  rose  to  81  cents  ;  in  1891  it  averaged  76  cents  ;  in  1892,  67  cents  ;  and  in  1893,  61  cents. 
He  attributed  the  fall  in  value  first  to  the  fact  that  a  number  of  European  countries,  includ- 
ing Germany  and  Austria,  had  long  since  ceased  coining  silver  except  for  use  as  w  change  "  ; 
but  secondly  and  chiefly,  because  of  the  enormous  increase  in  the  amount  mined.  In  1873 
the  world's  production  of  the  "white  metal"  was  $81,800,000;  by  1892  it  had  risen  to 
$196,605,000,  an  increase  of  140  per  cent.  See  "Report  of  the  Director  of  the  Mint"  for 
1893,  pp. 21-26. 

2  The  McKinley  Tariff  contained  certain  provisions  (called  Reciprocity  or  "  Fair  Trade  " 
Measures)  which  permitted  some  foreign  articles  to  be  admitted  free  of  duty,  provided  the 
country  from  which  we  imported  them  admitted  American  products  free.  When  the  McKinley 
Tariff  was  repealed  in  1894  the  Reciprocity  Measures  were  repealed  with  it,  but  were  later 
reenacted.  Just  before  his  assassination  in  1901,  President  McKinley  made  a  speech  at 
Buffalo  (§427)  in  which  he  strongly  advocated  the  policy  of  reciprocity. 


362       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1892 

of  work  that  it  is  getting  to  be  difficult  to  think  of  any  that 
they  cannot  do.1 

The  following  year  (1892)  a  second  great  strike  in  our  history 
occiirred-(§^77)^  The  workmen  in  the  Carnegie  Steel  Works  at 
Homestead,  near  Pittsburg,  asked  for  higher  wages  and  stopped 
work  when  this  demand  was  refused.  The  company  hired  a  force 
of  detectives  to  protect  their  buildings,  and  fierce  battles  were 
fought  between  them  and  the  strikers.  Both  sides  used  firearms, 
and  on  both  sides  a  number  were  killed.  Eventually  the  governor 
of  Pennsylvania  was  obliged  to  send  a  military  force  to  occupy  the 
town  and  restore  order. 

398.  Summary.  Aside  from  the  opening  of  Oklahoma  and  the 
admission  of  six  new  states  (in  two  of  which  women  may  vote  and 
hold  office  the  same  as  men),  the  principal  events  of  Harrison's 
administration  were  ( 1 )  the  building  of  many  new  ships  of  war ; 

(2)  the  passage  of  the  new  Pension  Act,  the  Sherman  Silver  Pur- 
chase and   Coinage  Act,   and  the   McKinley   Protective  Tariff ; 

(3)  the  Census  Report,  the  Patent  Office  Celebration,  and  the 
Homestead  Strike.    £{^>t4/v^w  Qyv^JX  jl^wa^  £-t~^  M  \ 

1  Among  the  inventions  of  the  nineteenth  century,  not  previously  mentioned,  attention 
may  be  called  to  the  following :  the  machine  gun,  smokeless  powder,  fixed  ammunition, 
breech-loading  cannon ;  the  Westingiionsp.  qirjTrqjfp  fnr  c^r.^  automatic  electric  signals,  the 
interlocking  safety  switch,  the  automatic  car  coupler,  vestibule  trains,  the  Pullman  and  the 
Wagner  palace  cars ;  the  compressed-air  drill,  the  sand  blast  for  cutting  designs  on  glass ; 
the  electric  search  light,  electric  welding  and  heating  ;  cold  storage  ;  noiseless  firearms  ;  color 
photography ;  the  submarine  signaling  apparatus  ;  aluminum  ware  ;  enameled  kitchen  ware  ; 
dyes  made  from  coal  tar ;  wood  paper ;  wire  nails,  gimlet-pointed  screws,  plain  and  barbed- 
wire  fence  ;  the  cash  carrier  for  stores,  the  passenger  elevator ;  ocean  steamers  built  of  steel 
with  water-tight  bulkheads  and  twin  screws ;  the  hydraulic  dredge  ;  the  gas  engine,  the  Cor- 
liss engine  ;  the  voting  machine  ;  the  tin-can-making  machine  ;  water  gas  ;  Yale,  combination, 
and  time  locks ;  the  bicycle. 

Among  the  most  noteworthy  scientific  discoveries  of  the  last  century  (not  previously 
mentioned)  are  spectrum  analysis,  dynamite,  the  use  of  cocaine  as  a  local  anaesthetic  in 
producing  insensibility  to  pain,  the  X  or  Rontgen  Ray  used  in  surgery  (and,  to  some  extent, 
in  the  arts)  for  seeing  and  photographing  objects  otherwise  invisible  to  the  eye,  the  use  of 
antiseptics  in  surgical  operations,  and  finally  the  discovery  and  treatment  of  disease  germs, 
the  production  of  liquid  air,  and  the  discovery  of  the  properties  of  radium. 


1893]        CLEVELAND'S  (SECOND)  ADMINISTRATION         363 

Grover  Cleveland  *  (Democrat) 

399.  Cleveland's  (Second)  Administration  (Twenty-fourth  Pres- 
ident, 1 893- 1 897);  the  Introduction  of  the  Australian  or  Secret 
Ballot.  Soon  after  Harrison  became  President  (1889)  a  new  kind 
of  ballot  or  voting  paper  was  used  by  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
for  the  first  time  in  the  United  States.  It  was  called  the  Aus- 
tralian ballot,  because  it  was  introduced  here  from-  that  country. 
One  great  fault  in  the  old  system  of  election  was  that  the  by- 
standers could  see  how  each  one  voted.  This  often  prevented  a 
man  from  voting  independently,  and  so  did  great  harm. 

The  Australian  method  is  this  : 

1.  An  officer  hands  the  voter  a  printed  ballot  having  on  it 
the  names  of  all  the  candidates  of  the  different  political  parties. 

2.  The  voter,  passing  behind  a  railing,  enters  a  narrow  booth, 
or  stall,  where  no  one  can  overlook  him,  and  makes  a  cross 
opposite  the  names  of  such  candidates  as  he  chooses. 

3.  Finally,  he  folds  his  ballot  so  that  no  one  can  see  what 
names  he  has  marked,  and,  in  the  presence  of  an  officer,  deposits 
it  in  the  ballot  box.  When  Mr.  Cleveland  was  elected  to  his 
second  term  of  office  (1892)  many  states  had  adopted  the  Aus- 
tralian ballot  or  one  resembling  it.  No  less  than  forty-four  states 
out  of  forty-eight  now  use  it. 

400.  The  World's  Columbian  Exposition;  Panic  and  M  Hard 
Times "  (1893);  Repeal  of  an  Important  Act;  the  Bering  Sea 
Case.  In  October  (1892)  the  public  schools  throughout  the  Union 
celebrated  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus.    At  the  same  time  the  magnificent  buildings 

1  Grover  Cleveland  (§  387,  note  1)  was  elected  a  second  time  by  the  Democrats  (Adlai 
E.  Stevenson  of  Illinois,  Vice  President)  over  Benjamin  Harrison  (§  394,  note  1),  the  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  reelection.  The  political  question  was  practically  the  same  as  in  the 
previous  presidential  election  (§  394,  note  1).  At  this  election  a  new  party,  calling  itself  the 
"  People's  Party,"  or  "  Populists,"  voted  for  James  B.  Weaver  of  Iowa  for  President.  Out 
of  a  total  of  444  "  electoral  votes  "  cast  for  all  presidential  candidates,  he  received  22,  but 
none  east  of  Kansas,  which  gave  him  10.  The  w  Populists  "  in  their  platform  declared  them- 
selves in  favor  of  the  union  of  the  labor  forces  of  the  United  States  to  secure  (1)  the  ownership 
of  all  railway,  telegraph,  and  telephone  lines  by  the  national  government ;  (2)  free  coinage 
of  silver  in  its  present  ratio  of  16  ounces  of  silver  to  one  of  gold ;  (3)  the  establishment  of 
postal  savings  banks  ;  (4)  the  prohibition  of  all  alien  ownership  of  land. 


364       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1893- 

of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago  were  dedicated. 
The  next  spring  (1893)  President  Cleveland  opened  the  great  Fair 
to  the  public.    It  proved  to  be  a  brilliant  success  in  every  respect. 

But  the  summer  brought  "  hard  times  "  to  multitudes.  There 
had  been  a  business  panic  (§§  275,  312,  373)  in  the  spring,  which 
was  followed  by  many  disastrous  failures.  Property  of  all  kinds 
fell  in  value,  and  immense  numbers  of  people  who  depended  on 
the  work  of  their  hands  for  their  daily  bread  were  thrown  out  of 
employment.  Great  strikes  in  the  coal  mines  and  on  one  of  the 
leading  coal  railways  increased  the  distress. 

Before  the  presidential  election  the  Republicans  and  the  Demo- 
crats had  both  declared  themselves  on  the  side  of  "  honest 
money,"  and  had  resolved  that  they  would  make  every  dollar, 
whether  silver  or  paper,  as  good  as  gold. 

President  Cleveland  believed  that  the  Sherman  Silver  Pur- 
chase and  Coinage  Act  (1890)  was  doing  harm  to  the  country 
(§  396).  He  called  a  special  meeting  of  Congress  (1893),  which 
repealed  the  purchase  clause  in  the  act.  This  stopped  the  buying 
of  silver  and  checked  the  making  of  silver  dollars. 

Meanwhile  (1893),  a  serious  dispute  in  regard  to  Bering  Sea 
was  settled.  We  claimed  that  when  we  bought  Alaska  (§  368)  we 
bought  the  right  to  control  Bering  Sea  and  could  close  it  against 
English  and  other  foreign  seal  hunters.  The  foreign  seal  hunters 
denied  our  right  to  shut  the  sea.  Finally,  the  question  was  left  to 
a  commission1  to  decide.  They  reported  that  Bering  Sea  must 
remain  open,  but  that  the  seals  should  be  properly  protected,  and 
not  killed  by  everybody  at  all  times.  This  protection  was  what  we 
most  wished  to  secure.  We  got  it,  as  we  did  the  damages  for  the 
destruction  done  by  the  Alabama  (§  374),  by  peaceful  means.  That 
bloodless  victory  was  an  advantage  to  us  and  to  the  world.  The 
more  such  bloodless  victories  any  nation  can  win,  the  better. 

401.  The  Coxey  " Industrial  Army";  the  Pullman  Strike; 
more  "Hard  Times."  The  next  spring  (1894)  a  man  named 
Coxey  started  from  Ohio  to  lead  an  "  army  "  of  the  unemployed 

1  Bering  Sea  Commission  :  this  commission  consisted  of  seven  eminent  men  chosen  by 
the  United  States,  the  British  Empire,  France,  Italy,  and  Norway  and  Sweden. 


1894-1896]  THE  WILSON  TARIFF  365 

to  Washington  to  demand  relief  from  the  government.  Some  of 
those  who  joined  him  were  honest  men  seeking  work,  but  many 
were  simply  "  tramps  "  and  criminals.  Coxey,  with  a  part  of  his 
"army,"  reached  the  national  capital,  but  accomplished  nothing, 
and  his  disgusted  followers  soon  disbanded  and  disappeared. 

Shortly  after  this  a  third  historic  strike  occurred  (§  397). 
Several  thousand  workmen  employed  in  building  Pullman  cars 
at  Pullman,  near  Chicago,  struck  for  higher  wages.  Next,  the 
men  on  a  number  of  western  railways  struck  in  order  to  stop 
the  use  of  these  cars  until  the  Pullman  Company  should  raise 
the  rate  of  wages.  For  a  time  trains  ceased  running  between 
Chicago  and  San  Francisco  and  other  points.  Much  railway 
property  was  destroyed,  and  the  President  felt  comrjejled  to  send 
United  States  troops  to  Chicago  and  to  rejtflin  points  in  Cali- 
fornia to  protect  the  carrying  of  the  mails  and  to  maintain  order. 
Meanwhile  (1894),  a  new  money  panic  (§§275,  312,  373,  400) 
did  enormous  damage  to  all  kinds  of  business  and  for  a  time 
made  it  harder  than  ever  for  men  to  get  work. 

402.  The  Wilson  Tariff.  After  a  long  and  bitter  contest  Congress 
enacted  (1894)  a  modified  form  of  what  was  originally  called  the 
Wilson  Tariff  (§  §  200,  234,  266,  267,  269,  324).  It  reduced  pro- 
tective duties  about  one  fourth,  and  admitted  wool,  salt,  and  lumber 
free.  It  furthermore  condemned  "  trusts  "  (§  390)  and  all  combina- 
tions in  restraint  of  lawful  trade  which  affected  imports  in  any  way. 

403.  The  Admission  of  Utah;  the  "New  West."  Two  years 
later  (1896)  Utah  —  the  forty-fifth  state  —  was  admitted  to  the 
Union.  The  admission  of  Utah  naturally  called  attention  to  the 
marvelous  growth  of  the  "  New  West "  in  population,  wealth,  and 
industrial  enterprise.  Thousands  of  miles  of  railways  had  been 
constructed  in  that  section  within  ten  years,  cities  and  towns  had 
multiplied,  mines  of  precious  metals  had  been  opened,  and  cattle 
ranches,  sheep  ranches,  and  grain  farms  were  yielding  food 
products  on  a  gigantic  scale. 

404.  The  Venezuela  Question.  In  his  third  annual  message  (1895) 
President  Cleveland  expressed  the  hope  that  the  long-standing 
dispute  between  England  and  Venezuela  respecting  the  boundary 


366      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1896-1897 

line  of  British  Guiana  might  be  settled  by  a  joint  committee 
of  arbitration  (§§  374,  400).  England,  however,  failed  to  act, 
and  the  President,  with  the  consent  of  Congress,  appointed  a 
commission  to  determine  "  the  true  divisional  line  between  the 
Republic  of  Venezuela  and  British  Guiana."  Soon  after,  Eng- 
land and  the  United  States  settled  the  dispute  in  a  friendly 
way  (1896). 

405.  Summary.  The  chief  events  of  Cleveland's  second  ad- 
ministration were  (1)  the  introduction  at  presidential  elections 
of  the  Australian  or  secret  ballot ;  (2)  the  opening  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  ;  (3)  the  financial  panics  of  1 893-1 894,  the 
repeal  of  the  Sherman  Silver  Act ;  (4)  the  settlement  of  the  Bering 
Sea  controversy  and  of  the  Venezuela  boundary  dispute;  (5)  the 
Coxey  "  Industrial  Army "  movement ;  (6)  the  Pullman  strike ; 
(7)  the  passage  of  the  Wilson  Tariff ;  (8)  the  admission  of  Utah. 

William  McKinley  1  and  Theodore  Roosevelt 
(Republican) 

406.  McKinley's  and  Roosevelt's  Administrations  (Twenty- 
fifth  and  Twenty-sixth  Presidents,  Two  Terms,  1897- 1905);  the 
Dingley  Tariff.  When  the  new  President  entered  office  the  gov- 
ernment was  in  great  need  of  money  to  meet  its  expenses ;  Con- 
gress passed  the  Dingley  high  Protective  Tariff2  (§§200,  234, 
266,  267,  269,  324,  402)  "  to  provide  revenue  for  the  support  of  the 
government,  and  to  encourage  the  industries  of  the  United  States." 

1  William  McKinley  was  born  in  1843  in  Niles,  Ohio  ;  died,  1901.  He  enlisted  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  was  promoted  for  gallant  service  to  the  rank  of  major.  After  the  war  he  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  Canton,  Ohio.  In  1876  the  Republicans  elected  him  to  Congress.  In  1890 
he  introduced  the  McKinley  tariff.  In  1896  the  Republican  vote,  supplemented  by  the  votes 
of  many  "  Gold  Democrats,"  elected  him  President  of  the  United  States  (Garrett  A.  Hobart 
of  New  Jersey,  Vice  President)  over  William  J.  Bryan,  the  Democratic  and  Populist  candi- 
date. The  great  question  at  the  election  was  whether  the  United  States  should  adopt  the 
free  and  unlimited  coinage  of  silver  advocated  by  the  regular  Democratic  party  and  hy  the 
Populists,  but  opposed  by  the  Republicans  and  the  "  Gold  Democrats."  Mr.  McKinley  was 
reelected  President  by  the  Republicans  in  1900  (Theodore  Roosevelt  of  New  York,  Vice 
President)  over  William  J.  Bryan.  The  Democrats  demanded  "  Free  Silver"  and  the  ulti- 
mate independence  of  the  Philippines  ;  the  Republican  platform  upheld  the  gold  standard, 
and  pledged  self-government,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  the  Philippines. 

2  The  tariff  got  its  name  from  Nelson  Dingley,  who  originated  the  measure. 


1897] 


INCREASE  IN  EXPORTS 


367 


The  Dingley  Tariff  made  many  changes  : 

1.  It  levied  duties  on  wool  and  certain  other  raw  materials, 
which  the  Wilson  Tariff  (§  402)  had  admitted  free. 

2.  It  generally  imposed   higher  rates  on  silks,   woolens,  and 
other  woven  fabrics. 

3.  It  kept  in  force  the  sections  of  the  Wilson  Tariff  which  forbade 
^1  persons  forming  combinations  to  restrain  trade  in  any  articles 

'imported  into  the  United  States, 
or  to  raise  their  market  price. 

407.  Enormous  Increase  in  Our 
Exports ;  Architectural  Progress. 
One  of  the  marked  features  of 
the  period,  which  still  continues, 
was  the  great  gain  in  our  exports. 
Every  year  we  ship  to  Europe 
and  to  other  countries  breadstuffs, 
provisions,  and  cattle  valued  at 
hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars.1 
Great  Britain  depends  on  us  for 
the  greater  part  of  her  food  sup- 
ply. American  beef  has  crowded 
"  the  roast  beef  of  Old  Eng- 
land "  off  the  table ;  and  when 
the  traveler  calls  for  bread,  the 
waiter  is  pretty  sure  to  bring  him  a  loaf  made  of  Minnesota  flour. 

We  also  export  immense  quantities  of  cotton,  petroleum,  leather, 
and  tobacco. 

Within  the  memory  of  men  now  living  we  did  not  send  any 
manufactured  iron  or  steel  abroad ;  on  the  contrary,  we  once 
imported  most  of  our  tools  and  even  the  locomotives  and  the 
rails  for  our  railways.  To-day  we  can  underbid  the  world  in  the 
manufacture  of  iron,  steel,  and  copper.  We  are  sending  Ameri- 
can locomotives  and  American  rails  to  Russia,  China,  Japan,  and, 
in  some  cases,  to  Great  Britain ;  and  we  have  constructed  steel 
.  bridges  in  Egypt,  and  electric  street-car  lines  through  Cairo  to 

1  In  1908  they  exceeded  $400,000,000  in  value. 


William  McKinley 


368       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


uiK" 


the  Pyramids.  In  ten  years  (1898- 1908)  our  exports  of  all  kinds 
have  increased  enormously.1  We  are  now  sending  abroad  our 
manufactured  copper,  our  tools,  hardware,  and  machinery  in  con- 
stantly greater  quantities.  American  sewing  machines,  watches, 
typewriters,  bicycles,  and  revolvers  can  be  found  in  every  large 
city  in  Europe,  unless  they  are  shut  out  by  tariff.2 

The  architectural  progress  of  our  country  was  marked  (in  1897) 
by  two  noteworthy  events.  In  the  spring  General  Grant's  tomb 
was  dedicated.  It  is  a  superb  white  granite 
edifice  standing  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
in  Riverside  Park,  New  York.  Over  the  en- 
trance are  cut  the  significant  words  of  the 
great  commander  :   "  Let  us  have  peace." 

Other  recent  buildings,  in  New  York,  of 
commanding  excellence  are  the  Museum  of 
Art,  the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  the 
Public  Library,  the  Library  of  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, the  new  Customhouse,  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  the  Soldiers' 
and  Sailors'  Arch. 

In  the  autumn  the  magnificent  Congres- 
sional Library  Building  in  Washington  was 
opened.  It  is  an  imposing  granite  structure 
facing  the  Capitol ;  it  has  room  for  nearly  six 
million  volumes,  and  is  considered  to  be  the 
finest  building  of  the  kind  in  the  world. 
408.  "  Greater  New  York  " ;  Growth  and 
Government  of  American  Cities.  On  New  Year's  Day  (1898)  the 
charter  of  "  Greater  New  York  "  went  into  operation.  The  metrop- 
olis now  includes  Brooklyn  and  a  number  of  suburban  towns.  It 
covers  an  area  of  nearly  3 1 6  square  miles,  —  or  a  territory  more 
than  one  fourth  that  of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  —  and  its  popu- 
lation is  estimated  at  about  4,500,000.  This  makes  New  York  the 
largest  city  in  the  world  except  London. 

1  In  191 1  our  domestic  exports  amounted  to  over  $2,000,000,000. 

2  Thevalueof  our  manufactured  exports,  exclusive  of  foodstuffs,  in  iguwas  over  $909,000,000. 


Steel  Manufacture 


1898-] 


"GREATER  NEW  YORK" 


369 


The  lack  of  space  in  lower  New  York  has  seemed  to  compel  the 
erection  of  enormously  high  steel-framed  business  buildings.  Wall 
Street,  Broad  Street,  and  parts 
of  lower  Broadway  now  resem- 
ble canyons  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Recently  office  buildings 
have  been  constructed,  which 
rise  to  a  height  of  from  600  to 
over  700  feet,  and  contain  from 
forty  to  fifty  stories.  The  great 
bridges  and  tunnels  of  the  city 
have  already  been  mentioned 
(§  382).  The  city  is  now  engaged 
in  constructing  an  immense  aque- 
duct, which,  when  completed,  will 
bring  an  abundant  supply  of  pure 
water  from  the  Catskills. 

The  rapid  growth  of  our  cities 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  features  in  our  history.    When  our 
first  national  census  was  taken  (1790)  (§  202)  we  had  only  six  cities 


Grant's  Tomb,  Riverside  Park, 
New  York  City 


■  • 

-        :■    : 

P^ 

ESfgff .   , ' ,  ■ , . 

'  BUBhIbb  fiif  ?  ¥  e  SohIHH 

Congressional  Library  Building,  Washington 


370      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1898- 


Wall  Street 
The  money  center  of  America. 


which  had  8000  or  more  inhab- 
itants. Philadelphia  came  first 
with  42,000  and  New  York  next 
with  33,000.  By  the  census  of 
1900  the  total  number  of  cities 
in  the  United  States  having  8000 
or  more  inhabitants  was  546.  In 
1 790  only  about  three  persons  in 
a  hundred  lived  in  cities,  while 
in  1890  nearly  thirty  in  a  hun- 
dred lived  in  them  ;  by  the  cen- 
sus of  1900  this  proportion  had 
increased  to  thirty-three  in  a  hun- 
dred, so  that  now  the  cities  em- 
brace pretty  nearly  an  entire  third 
of  our  whole  population. 

This  great  change  makes  the 
good  government  of  the  United 
States  depend  very  largely  on  the 
good  government  of  our  cities. 
If  they  are  intelligently,  honestly, 
and  efficiently  managed,  all  will 
probably  go  well ;  but  if  they  are 
badly  managed,  all  is  likely  to 
go  wrong.  The  decision  of  this 
momentous  question  rests  with 
those  who  are  now  voters,  but 
it  will  soon  rest  with  those  who 
are  to-day  pupils  in  the  public 
schools.  In  a  few  years  you  who 
are  studying  the  history  of  your 
country  will  be  called  upon  to 
take  a  hand  in  making  its  his- 
tory. Your  votes  will  then  turn 
the  scale,  and  America  will  be 
whatever  you  choose  it  shall  be. 


SPANISH  POSSESSIONS  371 

409.  Revised  State  Constitutions  in  the  South  and  West;  the 
Negro  Vote  shut  out.  Since  1 890  seven  southern  states  —  namely, 
Mississippi,  Louisiana,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Alabama, 
Virginia,  and  Georgia  —  have  adopted  new  or  amended  constitu- 
tions. These  states  require  every  voter  to  be  able  to  read  a  section  of 
the  state  constitution,  or  to  pay  a  certain  amount  of  taxes,  or  both. 

This  change  in  the  conditions  of  suffrage  practically  excludes, 
and  is  intended  to  exclude,  the  great  majority  of  the  negroes  from 
voting,  and  it  gives  the  white  race  the  entire  control.  In  this  way 
the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  (§  366)  has  practi- 
cally been  set  aside  and  no  longer  has  any  real  effect.1 

In  the  Far  West,  South  Dakota  amended  its  constitution  (1898) 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  people  of  the  state  a  more  direct 
voice  in  making  its  laws.  The  amendment  provided  that  when- 
ever five  per  cent  of  the  voters  —  or  fifty  in  a  thousand  —  should 
ask  for  the  enactment  of  a  law,  the  question  should  be  decided  at 
a  special  election.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  same  number  should 
object  to  any  law  which  the  legislature  had  enacted,  the  question 
of  retaining  it  must  be  decided  in  the  same  way.2  This  method 
has  been  in  operation  in  the  republic  of  Switzerland  for  many 
years,  but  South  Dakota  was  the  first  state  here  to  make  trial  of  it. 
Later  (1902),  Oregon  adopted  an  amendment  to  its  constitution 
similar  to  that  of  South  Dakota.  Since  then  a  number  of  other  states 
have  adopted  like  measures ;  so,  too,  have  a  number  of  cities. 

410.  Spanish  Possessions  in  the  Sixteenth  Century.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  at  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century  Spaniards 
were  the  only  white  men  who  had  planted  permanent  colonies  in 
North  America  (§§  29,  42).  They,  too,  held  the  West  Indies,  the 
greater  part  of  South  America,  the  Philippines,  and  other  groups 
of  islands  in  the  East.  The  King  of  Spain  could  then  boast  with 
truth  "  that  the  sun  never  set  on  his  dominions." 

As  late  almost  as  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  Spain 
still  held  the  greater  part  of  the  West  Indies,  Mexico,  Florida, 

1  See  the  Constitution  —  Amendments,  Article  XV. 

2  This  power  is  called  the  right  of  initiative  and  of  referendum ;  because  the  people 
initiate  or  originate  legislation  in  the  one  case,  while  in  the  other  they  approve  or  reject  the 
law  which  has  been  referred  to  them.    Many  states  now  use  one  or  both  of  these  methods. 


372       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1896- 

and  the  whole  vast  territory  between  the  Mississippi  River  and  the 
Pacific,  which  is  now  part  of  the  United  States. 

In  less  than  twenty-five  years  from  that  time  Spain  had  been 
forced  to  sell  or  had  lost  *  all  of  her  immense  possessions  on  the 
mainland  of  North  America.  The  only  important  islands  she  had 
left  in  the  West  Indies  were  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 

411.  The  Revolution  in  Cuba;  War  for  Independence.  Spain's 
oppressive  treatment  of  Cuba  caused  great  discontent,  and  for 
many  years  there  was  danger  of  open  revolt.  The  southern  slave 
states  coveted  the  island,  which  is  as  large  as  Pennsylvania  and 
is  almost  in  sight  from  Key  West,  Florida.  The  United  States 
(1845)  offered  Spain  $100,000,000  for  Cuba,  but  met  with  a  flat 
refusal.  Later,  several  armed  expeditions  tried  to  seize  the  island 
on  behalf  of  the  South.  The  American  ministers  to  Great  Britain, 
France,  and  Spain  met  at  Ostend,  in  Belgium  (1854),  to  discuss 
the  Cuban  question.  They  declared  in  the  Ostend  Manifesto  that 
so  long  as  Cuba  should  belong  to  Spain  it  would  be  dangerous  to 
our  peace,  and  that  if  Spain  should  continue  to  refuse  to  sell  us 
the  island  we  should  be  justified  in  taking  it  by  force. 

Later  (1868),  a  rebellion  broke  out  in  Cuba2  which  lasted  ten 
years.  Then  (1895)  a  new  uprising  occurred,  and  the  Revolu- 
tionists declared  themselves  for  "  independence  or  death."  3  This 
revolt  in  Cuba  excited  the  people  of  the  Spanish  colony  of  the 
Philippines  to  declare  their  independence. 

President  Cleveland  said  that  if  the  war  in  Cuba  should  go 
on,  it  must  end  in  "  the  utter  ruin  of  the  island."  He  took  the 
ground  that  rather  than  see  that,  it  would  be  our  duty  to  put  a 

1  Napoleon  forced  Spain  to  give  up  the  great  province  of  Louisiana  to  him ;  in  1803  he 
sold  it  to  us  (§  215) ;  Spain  felt  obliged  to  sell  us  Florida,  and  at  the  same  time  (1819)  to 
give  up  all  claims  to  Oregon  (§  238) ;  and  Mexico  freed  herself  from  Spain  by  revolution. 

2  The  population  of  Cuba  consisted  of  (1)  a  small  number  of  native  Spaniards,  who  held 
nearly  every  position  of  power  and  trust ;  (2)  the  white  Creoles,  who  constituted  the  great 
bulk  of  the  people  ;  (3)  mulattoes,  free  negroes,  and  Chinamen. 

8  The  progress  of  the  rebellion  developed  four  parties :  (1)  the  Revolutionists,  who  de- 
manded absolute  separation  from  Spain;  (2)  the  Autonomists,  who  asked  for  "home  rule" 
—  that  is,  the  management  of  all  local  affairs  —  without  separation  from  Spain ;  (3)  the 
Spanish  party  in  power,  who  opposed  any  change  whatever ;  (4)  a  very  large  number  of 
Cuban  farmers  who  wished  to  remain  neutral ;  all  they  asked  was  to  be  let  alone  and  allowed 
to  cultivate  their  farms  in  peace ;  but  neither  the  Revolutionists  nor  the  Spanish  military 
authorities  would  permit  this. 


1898-]  THE  PRESIDENT'S  MESSAGE  373 

stop  to  the  conflict.  When  President  McKinley  entered  office  the 
Cuban  war  was  still  raging,  and  an  enormous  amount  of  American 
property  on  the  island  had  been  destroyed. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  Revolutionists  hanged  those  farmers  who 
would  not  take  up  arms  and  join  them ;  on  the  other,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Spanish  army  drove  scores  of  thousands  of  the 
people  into  the  towns  and  shut  them  up  there  to  die  of  pestilence 
or  starvation. 

412.  The  Destruction  of  the  Maine;  Report  of  the  Court  of  In- 
quiry. While  this  horrible  state  of  things  was  going  on,  an  event 
occurred  which  suddenly  changed  everything.  The  United  States 
had  sent  Captain  Sigsbee  in  command  of  the  battle  ship  Maine  to 
pay  a  friendly  visit  to  Havana.  While  lying  in  the  harbor  of  that 
port  the  Maine  was  destroyed  by  an  explosion  (1898).  Two  of  her 
officers  and  the  greater  part  of  her  crew  were  killed.  The  terrible 
news  acted  like  an  electric  shock  on  the  people  of  our  country. 

The  United  States  appointed  a  naval  Court  of  Inquiry  to  make 
an  investigation.  The  court  reported  that,  in  their  opinion,  "  the 
Maine  was  destroyed  by  the  explosion  of  a  submarine  mine." 
The  court  found  no  evidence  showing  whether  the  explosion  was 
caused  by  accident  or  design,  and  they  accused  no  one  of  having 
been  guilty  of  the  act.  The  Spanish  government  expressed  their 
regret  at  the  "  lamentable  incident."  They  believed  that  the  explo- 
sion resulted  from  causes  within  the  ship  itself,  and  urged  that 
the  whole  question  should  be  referred  to  an  arbitration  committee 
chosen  by  different  nations  (§  374).  This  proposal  the  United 
States  declined  to  accept.  Later,  we  raised  the  wreck  of  the  Maine 
(191 2),  and  an  examination  confirmed  the  opinion  of  the  court. 

413.  The  President's  Message  ;  the  Resolutions  adopted  by  Con- 
gress. In  April  (1898)  President  McKinley  sent  a  special  mes- 
sage to  Congress.  He  declared  that  in  the  "  name  of  humanity," 
in  the  "  name  of  civilization,"  and  "in  behalf  of  endangered 
American  interests,"  the  "war  in  Cuba  must  stop." 

Shortly  afterward  both  Houses  of  Congress  resolved  (April  19, 
1898)  (tthat  the  people  of  Cuba  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free 
and  independent."    Furthermore,  Congress  demanded  that  Spain 


374       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

should  give  up  all  sovereignty  over  Cuba ;  in  case  Spain  refused, 
the  President  was  authorized  to  use  the  land  and  naval  forces  of 
the  United  States  to  compel  the  Spaniards  to  leave  the  island. 

Finally,  Congress  resolved  that  when  peace  should  be  made  in 
Cuba,  we  would  "leave  the  government  and  control  of  the  island 
to  its  people."  Later,  however,  Congress  resolved  (1902)  that,  in 
case  of  necessity,  the  Cubans  must  admit  our  right  to  act  as 
guardians  of  their  liberty  (§419). 

414.  We  prepare  for  War  with  Spain  (1898);  the  Call  for 
Volunteers ;  the  Call  for  Money ;  the  Navy ;  War  declared.  Spain 
refused  to  grant  our  demands  and  we  determined  to  fight. 

The  President  called  for  200,000  volunteers.  A  million  men 
stepped  forward,  saying,  "  Here  am  I ;  take  me." 

But  in  war,  money  is  as  necessary  as  men,  for  those  who  fight 
must  be  fed,  clothed,  armed,  and  paid.  Congress  had  already 
placed  $50,000,000  in  the  President's  hands  to  buy  ships  and 
complete  coast  defenses.  Later,  the  government  asked  the  people 
to  lend  them  $200,000,000  to -pay  the  men  in  the  army  and  navy. 
Only  three  per  cent  interest  was  offered,  but  the  people  came 
forward,  ready  to  lend  the  government  not  simply  $200,000,000 
but  seven  times  more  than  was  called  for. 

Congress  next  proceeded  to  pass  a  war  revenue  act  which  levied 
taxes  of  different  kinds.  These  taxes  brought  into  the  United 
States  Treasury  from  $175,000,000  to  $200,000,000  annually. 
The  entire  act,  with  a  few  exceptions,  was  repealed  four  years 
later  (1902). 

In  a  contest  with  Spain  the  navy  would  naturally  take  the 
most  prominent  part.  The  President  sent  Captain  William  T. 
Sampson l  with  a  fleet  of  war  ships  to  blockade  Havana  and 
other  ports  of  Cuba.  He  also  ordered  Commodore  W.  S.  Schley2 
to  organize  a  "  flying  squadron  "  of  fast,  armed  steamers  to  be 
used  as  occasion  might  require.  Congress  then  declared  war 
(April  25,  1898). 

415.  The  Battle  of  Manila.  Commodore  George  Dewey,  who 
had  been  with   Farragut  at  the  battle  of   New  Orleans  (§  334), 

1  Captain  Sampson  had  the  rank  of  Acting  Rear  Admiral.         2  Schley  (sly  or  schla). 


Naval  Commanders 


375 


37^       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [i«« 

was  then  in  command  of  our  Asiatic  squadron  at  Hongkong, 
China.  The  President  ordered  him  to  go  to  Manila,  the  capital 
of  the  Philippines  (Map,  p.  382),  and  "capture  or  destroy"  the 
Spanish  squadron  which  guarded  that  important  port.  Our  plan 
was  to  attack  Spain  through  her  colonies  of  Cuba  and  the  Philip- 
pines, and  so  strike  her  two  heavy  blows  at  the  same  time,  —  one 
on  one  side  of  the  world,  the  other  on  the  other. 

Commodore  Dewey  had  only  six  ships  of  war.  The  Spaniards 
at  Manila  held  a  fortified  port ;  they  had  twice  as  many  vessels 
as  Dewey  had,  but  our  squadron  was  superior  in  size  and  arma- 
ment ;  last  of  all,  the  enemy,  though  brave  men  and  good  fighters, 
had  never  learned  how  to  fire  straight. 

On  May  1,  1898,  Commodore  Dewey  reported  that  he  had 
just  fought  a  battle  in  which  he  had  destroyed  every  vessel  of  the 
Spanish  squadron  without  losing  a  man.  A  French  officer,  who 
witnessed  the  fight,  said  that  the  American  fire  was  "  something 
awful  "  for  its  "  accuracy  and  rapidity." 

The  "  Hero  of  Manila "  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  rear 
admiral;  after  the  war  he  was  made  admiral  (1899),  and  Captain 
Sampson  and  Commodore  Schley  were  made  rear  admirals. 

416.  Commodore  Schley  discovers  Cervera's  Squadron.  Shortly 
before  the  battle  of  Manila  Admiral  Cervera  left  the  Cape  Verde 
Islands  with  a  Spanish  squadron  of  seven  war  ships.  Nobody 
in  America  knew  whether  Cervera  was  headed  for  Cuba  or 
whether  he  meant  to  shell  the  cities  on  our  eastern  coast. 

Commodore  Schley  set  out  with  his  "flying  squadron  "  (§414) 
to  find  the  enemy.  The  Commodore  discovered  that  the  Spanish 
ships  had  entered  the  harbor  of  Santiago  on  the  southeast  coast 
of  Cuba.  (Map,  p.  377.)  He  said  with  a  grim  smile,  "They  will 
never  get  home."    They  never  did. 

A  few  days  later  Captain  Sampson  sailed  for  Santiago.  One  of 
his  squadron  was  the  battle  ship  Oregon.  It  had  come  from  San 
Francisco,  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  —  an  exciting  voyage 
of  over  13,000  miles,  — in  order  to  take  part  in  the  fight. 

The  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  Santiago  is  long,  narrow,  and 
crooked ;    furthermore,   it  was    protected   by  land   batteries   and 


THE  "ROUGH  RIDERS" 


377 


submarine  mines.  This  made  it  practically  impossible  for  our 
ships  to  attempt  to  enter  to  attack  the  enemy. 

417.  Fighting  near  Santiago;  the  "Rough  Riders  ";  Destruc- 
tion of  Cervera's  Squadron.  Not  long  afterward  General  Shafter 
landed  a  strong  force  near  Santiago  to  cooperate  with  Captain 
Sampson  in  the  capture  of  that  city. 

A  week  later  (July  1-2,  1898)  our  "  regulars"  and  Roosevelt's 
"  Rough  Riders," *  who  here  fought  on  foot,  stormed  up  the 
steep  heights  of  El  Canev  and  San  Juan,  overlooking  the  city  of 


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Map  of  Cuba  and  Neighboring  Islands 

Santiago.  In  spite  of  defenses  made  of  barbed  wire,  they  drove 
the  Spanish,  with  heavy  loss,  pellmell  into  the  city. 

Captain  Sampson  then  went  down  the  coast  to  confer  with 
General  Shafter.  Meanwhile,  Commodore  Schley,  of  the  flagship 
Brookly?i,  and  the  commanders  of  the  other  vessels  of  the  fleet, 
were  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  Cervera  (§416). 

Not  long  after  Captain  Sampson  left,  a  great  shout  went  up  from 
the  Brooklyn:  "The  Spaniards  are  coming  out  of  the  harbor!" 
Both  sides  opened  fire  at  the  same  moment  (July  3,  1898).    But  the 

1  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  Theodore  Roosevelt  raised  a  force  of  volunteer  cavalry. 
Colonel  Leonard  Wood  took  command  of  this  regiment,  in  which  Roosevelt  held  the  posi- 
tion of  lieutenant  colonel.  The  regiment  was  popularly  known  as  "  Roosevelt's  Rough 
Riders."  It  included  "cowboys"  from  the  West  and  college  graduates  and  the  sons  of 
wealthy  families  from  the  East.  The  "  Rough  Riders  "  always  showed  themselves  the  equal 
of  any  men  in  the  field  for  desperate  fighting. 


378       LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY 


[1898 


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Spanish  Admiral's  squadron  of  six  vessels  proved  to  be  no  match 
for  our  fleet  of  six  vessels,  comprising  four  powerful  battle  ships.1 
In  a  few  hours  nothing  was  left  of  the  enemy's  squadron  but 
helpless,  blazing  wrecks  ;  and  Cervera  himself  was  taken  prisoner. 
Spain  needed  the  few  ships  she  had  left  to 
protect  her  own  coast.    Her  sea  power  was  de- 
stroyed, and  the  war  on  the  ocean  was  over. 
It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  in  our  war  with 
Spain,  as  in  that  with   Mexico   (§  293),   the 
American  army  and   navy  won  every  battle 
which  they  fought. 

418.  The  End  of  the  War.    This  decisive 

defeat  compelled  the  Spaniards  to  surrender 

Santiago.    Shortly  afterward  the  first  draft  for 

a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed.    The  President 

then  ordered  all  fighting  to  stop,  and  the  Spanish  governor  of 

Porto  Rico  surrendered  that  island  to  General  Miles. 

Before  the  President's  dispatch  could  reach  the  Philippines, 
Rear  Admiral  Dewey  and  General  Merritt,  who  had  gone  out  with 
reinforcements,  attacked  and  took  Manila  (August  13,  1898). 

419.  Our  Seventh  Step  in  National  Expansion, — Annexation 
of  Hawaii2  and  of  the  Islands  ceded  by  Spain;  the  Treaty  of 
Peace ;  Our  Total  Territorial  Additions,  1803-1898.  After  Dewey's 
splendid  victory  at  Manila  (§415)  Captain  Mahan  and  other  emi- 
nent men  in  our  navy  urged  the  annexation  of  Hawaii.  They 
believed  that  we  needed  the  islands  as  a  military  base  of  defense 
and  of  naval  operations  in  the  Pacific. 

When  the  question  came  up  in  the  United  States  Senate  a 
number  of  senators  declared  that  the  people  of  the  republic  of 
Hawaii  had  not  been  fully  and  fairly  consulted,  and  that  the  great 


1  Our  fleet,  then  off  Santiago  (July  3,  1898),  consisted  of  six  war  ships,  among  which 
were  the  battle  ships  Iowa,  Indiana,  Oregon,  and  Texas.  The  battle  ship  Massachusetts, 
with  other  war  ships,  and  Captain  Sampson's  flag  ship,  the  New  York,  were  east  of  Santiago. 
Cervera  had  four  first-class  cruisers,  but  no  battle  ships. 

2  The  Hawaiian  group  consists  of  twelve  islands  having  a  total  area  of  less  than  7000 
square  miles.  The  total  population  in  1900  was  a  little  over  153,000.  Of  this  number  over 
61,000  are  Japanese  and  25,000  are  Chinese.  There  are  over  28,000  white  inhabitants  and 
about  30,000  Hawaiians.    Only  a  part  of  the  population  can  speak  English. 


Army  Commanders 


379 


380       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1898-1899 

majority  of  them  were  unfit  for  self-government.  But  Congress 
passed  a  resolution  to  annex,  and  Hawaii  became  a  part  of  the 
territory  of  the  United  States  (1898). 

The  following  year  (1899)  we  came  into  possession  of  the 
Samoan  Islands  in  the  South  Pacific.  We  now  own  a  number 
of  other  small  islands  in  the  Pacific,  several  of  which  we  use  as 
coaling,  naval,  or  telegraph  stations.    (Map,  p.  382.) 

Meanwhile,  the  final  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States 
and  Spain  had  been  signed  (1898).  The  terms  of  the  treaty  were 
as  follows  : 

1 .  Spain  gave  up  all  right  and  title  to  Cuba. 

2.  Spain  ceded  Porto  Rico1  and  Guam,  the  largest  island  in 
the  Ladrones,2  to  the  United  States. 

3.  Finally,  Spain  ceded  the  entire  group  of  the  Philippines3  to 
us,  on  payment  by  us  of  $20,000,000  for  the  public  works  which 
the  Spanish  government  had  constructed  in  those  islands. 

When  the  question  of  ratifying  the  treaty  came  before  the 
Senate,4  a  part  of  the  members  objected  to  our  taking  possession 
of  the  Philippines.  They  contended  that  we  could  not  give  the 
semicivilized  or  barbarous  people  of  those  islands  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  American  citizenship  ;  and  that,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  could  not  hold  them  under  permanent  military  rule  without 
violating  the  spirit  of  the  American  Republic.  They  urged,  too, 
that  the  expense  and  difficulty  of  governing  so  distant  a  territory 
would  be  very  great,  and  that  there  would  be  serious  danger  of 
our  getting  into  war  with  some  of  the  nations  of  Europe  over 
questions  that  would  arise  about  the  islands. 

1  Porto  Rico,  with  its  three  small  dependent  islands,  has  an  area  of  a  little  over  3600 
square  miles,  and  is  therefore  nearly  three  times  as  large  as  the  state  of  Rhode  Island.  It 
has  a  population  of  nearly  a  million,  composed  of  whites,  negroes,  and  mulattoes. 

2  Guam  (Map,  p.  382)  has  an  area  of  200  square  miles  and  a  population  of  8661.  It  was 
seized  by  the  United  States,  during  the  war  with  Spain,  as  a  naval  port. 

3  The  Philippines  (Map,  p.  382)  comprise  over  400  islands,  many  of  which  are  very 
small.  They  have  a  total  area  of  over  122,000  square  miles.  Luzon,  the  largest  of  the  islands, 
of  which  Manila  is  the  capital,  has  an  area  of  nearly  40,000  square  miles  and  is  therefore 
nearly  as  large  as  the  state  of  Ohio.  The  Philippines  have  a  population  of  less  than  8,000,000. 
The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  are  (1)  Malays,  (2)  savage  tribes  of  an  undersized  negro- 
like race,  and  (3)  Chinese. 

4  The  President  may  make  a  treaty  provided  two  thirds  of  the  senators  present  vote  in 
favor  of  it.   See  the  Constitution  in  the  Appendix,  Article  II,  Section  2,  Paragraph  2. 


1898-1899]     OUR  TOTAL  TERRITORIAL  ADDITIONS  381 

They  wished  to  amend  the  treaty  so  that  it  would  simply  make 
us  the  guardians  over  the  Philippines,  as  in  the  case  of  Cuba,  until 
the  people  of  those  islands  should  be  able  to  govern  themselves. 

But  a  large  majority  of  the  Senate  held  that  the  Philippines 
would  be  safer,  and  in  every  way  better  off,  if  they  became  a  part 
of  the  United  States.  They  argued  that  we  had  no  choice  ;  the  war, 
said  they,  has  forced  us  to  annex  distant  islands  ;  it  has  thus  made 
usa"  world  power  "  ;  and  our  trade  interests  with  China  and  the 
Far  East  demand  that  we  should  own  the  whole  of  the  Philippines. 
We  can  hold  them,  they  said,  as  we  do  Alaska,  under  some  form 
of  territorial  government,  until  we  see  our  way  to  do  differently. 

While  the  discussion  was  going  on  the  natives  attacked  our 
forces  at  Manila.  A  fierce  battle  ensued,  with  the  result  that 
General  Otis  and  Rear  Admiral  Dewey  drove  back  the  insurgents 
with  terrible  loss.  The  news  of  the  battle  was  at  once  sent  to 
Washington.  The  next  day  the  Senate  met  to  take  action  on  the 
treaty  of  peace  with  Spain  (1899).  Fifty-seven  senators  voted  for 
the  treaty  as  it  stood,  against  twenty-seven  who  voted  against  it. 
The  result  was  that  the  treaty  was  ratified  by  one  more  than  the 
two  thirds'  majority  which  the  Constitution  requires.1  This  gave 
the  whole  Philippine  group  and  the  islands  of  Porto  Rico  and 
Guam  to  the  United  States. 

Let  us  stop  here  for  a  moment  and  review  the  seven  great  steps 
of  our  national  territorial  expansion  from  the  first  step  to  the 
present  time.    (See  Map,  p.  334.) 

1.  (1803)  We  purchased  the  province  of  Louisiana  from  France 

(§215). 

2.  (18 19)  We  purchased  Florida  from  Spain  (§238). 

3.  (1845)  We  annexed  the  independent  state  of  Texas  at  the 
urgent  request  of  the  people  of  that  state  (§285). 

4.  (1846)  We  settled  our  claim  to  Oregon  by  a  treaty  with 
Great  Britain  (§§  287,  289). 

5.  (1 848-1 8  5  3)  We  added  California  and  other  Mexican  land 
cessions  obtained  through  the  Mexican  War  (§  294),  and  the  Gads- 
den tract  obtained  by  purchase  from  Mexico  (§  294). 

1  See  the  Constitution  in  the  Appendix,  Article  II,  Section  2,  Paragraph  2. 


382       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

6.  (1867)  We  bought  Alaska  of  Russia  (§  368). 

7.  (1898)  We  came  into  peaceful  possession  of  Hawaii  and 
obtained  the  Philippines  and  Porto  Rico  through  our  war  with 
Spain.  That  means  that  in  less  than  a  century  we  have  added 
nearly  3,000,000  square  miles  of  territory  to  the  United  States.1 

The  insurrection  against  the  authority  of  the  United  States 
continued  for  two  or  three  years.  Finally,  Aguinaldo,  the  Fili- 
pino leader,  was  captured  (1901)  and  the  rebellion  practically 
ceased.  Civil  government  has  been  established  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  the  islands,  the  Filipinos  elect  representatives  to  the 
Legislature,  and  many  public  schools  have  been  opened. 

In  the  meantime  the  Spanish  had  withdrawn  from  Cuba,  which 
was  to  remain  under  our  guardianship  until  the  people  should  be 
prepared  to  govern  themselves  (§413).  At  noon  on  New  Year's 
Day  (1899)  the  Spanish  flag  was  hauled  down  at  Havana  and  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  were  hoisted  above  the  palace  and  the  castle  of 
that  ancient  city.  The  Spanish  general  then  bade  a  sorrowful 
farewell  to  the  beautiful  island.  Spain,  once  so  rich  in  American 
possessions  (§410),  does  not  now  own  a  single  foot  of  land  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Three  years  later  (1902)  the  United  States  formally  recognized 
the  new  republic  of  Cuba,  but  on  the  condition  that  the  Cubans 
should  acknowledge  the  right  of  the  United  States  to  take  what- 
ever action  might  be  necessary  to  preserve  the  independence 
of  the  island  and  to  protect  the  life,  property,  and  liberty  of 
its  people. 

Cuba  soon  had  occasion  to  ask  for  our  assistance.  An  insur- 
rection broke  out  (1906);  the  Cuban  President  resigned  his  office 
and  appealed  to  the  United  States  for  help.  We  made  Secretary 
Taft  provisional  governor  of  the  island  and  held  it,  tor  a  time,  by 
military  power.  Our  government  is  now  hopeful  that  the  people 
of  Cuba  may  be  able  to  reestablish  their  republic  on  a  perma- 
nent and  peaceful  foundation. 

1  The  total  area  of  the  United  States  in  1800  was  827,844  square  miles ;  its  present  area 
(including  Alaska  and  our  island  possessions)  is  3,756,884  square  miles.  The  total  additions 
amaunt  to  2,929,040  square  miles. 


1898-]       COST  OF  THE  WAR  IN  MONEY  AND  LIFE         383 

420.  The  Cost  of  the  War  in  Money  and  Life;  Work  of  the 
M  Red  Cross  "  and  of  the  Women  of  America.  The  direct  cost  of 
the  war  with  Spain  was  about  $165,000,000;  but  the  increased 
expenses  of  the  government  in  consequence  of  the  war  have 
been  very  heavy. 

•  1.  We  have  had  to  increase  and  strengthen  our  navy  and 
standing  army  in  order  to  hold  and  preserve  peace  in  the  Philip- 
pines and  to  protect  Cuba. 

2.  We  must  pay  pensions  to  the  disabled  soldiers  and  sailors 
who  fought  against  Spain,  and  to  the  widows  of  those  who  were 
killed  or  died  of  disease. 

No  successful  campaign  in  the  records  of  our  history  was  ever 
fought  at  such  small  cost  of  life  in  battle,  the  total  loss  in  the 
entire  hundred  days  being  only  402  ;  but  many  times  that  number 
died  from  disease. 

The  war  showed  the  wonderful  fighting  power  of  our  navy  and 
of  our  land  forces  —  both  "regulars"  and  volunteers.  It  united 
the  Union  and  the  Confederate  veterans  under  the  old  flag  ;  and  it 
brought  the  "  Red  Cross  Society"1  and  the  women  of  America 
to  the  front  in  their  noble  work  of  ministering  to  the  wounded, 
the  sick,  and  the  dying. 

421.  The  "Trans-Mississippi  Exposition " ;  Cheap  Lands; 
Agricultural  Prosperity;  Agricultural  Colleges.  While  the  war 
with  Spain  was  going  on,  the  Trans-M issis^pL-Sx^Qsition  was 
opened  at  Omaha,  Nebraska  (1898).  The  object  of  this  grand  fair 
was  to  exhibit  to  the  world  the  marvelous  growth  and  resources 
of  the  states  and  territories  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

Spain  held  that  vast  region  when  Coronado  wandered  through 
it  in  his  search  for  gold  (§22).  Then  France  laid  claim  to  a  large 
part  of  it  (§  §  131,  143).    Finally,  we  purchased  the  French  province 

1  The  "  Red  Cross  Society"  was  organized  in  Geneva,  Switzerland,  in  1864,  by  delegates 
from  the  chief  nations  of  the  world.  Its  object  is  to  take  care  of  all  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers, whether  friends  or  enemies,  who  may  need  immediate  help.  The  society  also  interests 
itself  in  helping  to  stamp  out  the  wide-spread  disease  of  consumption,  and  it  aids  in  provid- 
ing relief  for  great  calamities.  Miss  Clara  Barton  was  the  founder  of  the  "  American  National 
Red  Cross."  Miss  Helen  Gould  of  New  York,  and  other  wealthy  society  women  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  contributed  very  large  sums  for  the  relief  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  in 
the  war,  and  in  some  cases  they  or  their  friends  acted  as  nurses  in  the  hospitals. 


384       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  [1898- 

of  Louisiana  (§215).  Fifty  years  ago  the  greater  part  of  it  was  an 
unexplored  wilderness.  Not  a  single  mile  of  railway  penetrated 
the  country ;  and  the  school  maps  of  that  day  marked  a  central 
portion,  covering  many  thousand  square  miles,  with  the  forbidding 
name  :  "  Great  American  Desert."  1 

The  building  of  railways  (§§255,  270,  370)  and  the  generous 
offer  by  the  government  of  cheap  lands,  and  finally  of  free  lands, 
made  rapid  changes  in  that  part  of  the  country  and  converted 
the  "  American  Desert "  into  what  is  now  popularly  called  the 
"  Bread  Basket  of  the  World." 

Under  the  Homestead,  Act,  to  which  reference  has  been  made 
(§371),  every  permanent  settler  receives  160  acres  of  land  practi- 
cally free  of  charge.  It  is  estimated  that  between  1862  and  the 
present  time,  Western  farmers  have  taken  up  over  170,000,000 
acres,  or  over  260,000  square  miles.  This  area  is  more  than  four 
times  the  size  of  England  and  Wales,  and  nearly  six  times  larger 
than  Pennsylvania.  Forty  years  ago  it  was  the  home  of  the 
buffalo  and  the  hunting  ground  of  the  Indian  ;  now  it  is  cultivated 
by  men  who  own  it,  live  on  it,  and  prosper  by  it. 

A  noted  writer  has  said  that  it  is  a  great  thing  for  any  one 
to  make  two  ears  of  corn  or  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where 
only  one  grew  before.  But  the  Trans-Mississippi  Exposition 
showed  that  the  Western  farmer  has  done  even  better  than  this ; 
for  he  has  made  corn  grow  where  it  never  grew  before,  and  in 
some  cases  he  has  made  grass  spring  up  where  not  a  blade  of  it 
was  ever  seen. 

The  liberal  government  policy  which  gave  homesteads  to  tens 
of  thousands  of  hard-working,  thrifty  settlers,  and  thereby  enriched 
the  country,  did  not  stop  there  ;  it  also  gave  large  tracts  of  land 
to  each  state  to  establish  agricultural  colleges.  More  than  sixty  of 
these  educational  institutions  have  been  founded.    In  many  cases 

1  The  Great  American  Desert :  this  name  was  formerly  applied  to  an  unexplored  region 
lying  west  of  the  Mississippi.  It  had  no  very  definite  limits.  Later,  the  name  was  given 
to  a  tract  of  country  south  and  west  of  Great  Salt  Lake,  Utah.  At  present  the  name  is 
sometimes  used  to  designate  a  large  section  of  the  region  lying  between  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  mountains.  Irrigation  is  rendering  portions  of 
this  barren  tract  increasingly  productive.  Much  of  this  desert  area  is  rich  in  valuable 
minerals. 


1898-1908]    THE  PRESERVATION  OF  OUR  FORESTS  3^5 

they  have  been  productive  of  much  good ;  and,  if  well  managed, 
they  will  sow  the  seed  for  a  harvest  of  still  greater  good. 

The  same  year  (1898)  was  one  of  great  agricultural  prosperity 
for  the  United  States.  The  West  raised  enormous  crops  of  grain. 
The  foreign  demand  put  up  the  price.  Millions  of  bushels  were 
sent  abroad  which  were  paid  for  in  gold,  filling  the  farmer's 
pockets  and  adding  largely  to  the  wealth  of  the  country. 

Since  then  American  farmers  and  planters  have  harvested  in 
a  single  season  (19 10)  crops  of  corn,  cotton,  wheat,  and  other 
products  of  the  soil  worth,  as  estimated  by  the  Secretary  of  Agri- 
culture, about  nine  billion  dollars  !  Out  of  the  profits,  the  producers 
could  have  paid  all  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  national  govern- 
ment for  that  year,  and  still  have  had  a  handsome  balance  left  in 
the  banks.1   That,  certainly,  was  a  good  year's  work. 

422.  The  Preservation  of  Our  Forests;  Irrigation  of  Desert 
Regions.  But  progress  has  been  made  in  other  directions,  equally 
important  to  agriculture  and  to  the  country  at  large.  An  old 
maxim  tells  us  that  a  "  penny  saved  is  a  penny  got."  This  holds 
as  true  of  millions  of  dollars  as  it  does  of  pennies. 

One  great  source  of  waste  in  the  United  States  has  been  the 
unwise  destruction  of  great  areas  of  forest.  Where  the  trees 
covering  a  large  extent  of  country  are  indiscriminately  cut  down 
or  are  burned,  the  streams  in  that  section  often  become  devasta- 
ting torrents  in  the  spring,  and  then  suddenly  dry  up  in  hot 
weather.  This  condition  of  things  has  a  direct  effect  on  the  culti- 
vation of  the  soil  and  on  the  production  of  agricultural  wealth. 

Since  1 891  the  general  government  and  a  number  of  state  govern- 
ments have  turned  their  attention  to  the  preservation  of  forests  and 
to  the  irrigation  of  great  desert  tracts  west  0?  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  totaiTorest  area  in  the  United  States  at  the  beginning  of 
1909  was  about  700,000,000  acres.  Yet  this  seemingly  inexhausti- 
ble extent  of  woodland  is  rapidly  disappearing.  The  demands  made 
on  our  forests  are  constantly  increasing.  We  want- not  only  fenc- 
ing and  firewood,  but  we  want  lumber  for  building,  ties  for  railways, 
and  wood  pulp  to  make  into  printing  paper.    Then  again,  every 

1  The  ordinary  expenses  of  the  government  for  19 10  were  a  little  under  #660,000,000. 


386       LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY  [1902 

year  fires  break  out,  which  destroy  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres 
of  standing  timber.  For  these  reasons  the  government  authorities 
say  that  unless  great  care  is  taken  our  woods  will  not  last  very  long. 

To  prevent  such  a  deplorable  loss,  the  nation  now  sets  apart 
certain  forest  districts,  in  order  to  preserve  them  and  preserve  the 
streams  which  rise  in  them.2  A  number  of  states  do  the  same. 
Furthermore,  forty-five  out  of  forty-six  of  our  states  have  appointed 
one  day  in  the  year,  called  Arbor  Day,  for  tree  planting.  By  these 
means  it  is  hoped  that  the  good  work  of  saving  the  woods,  and  in 
some  cases  of  actually  creating  them,  may  in  time  prove  of  great 
benefit  to  the  whole  country. 

423.  What  the  People  save;  Wealth  of  the  Country;  Gifts  for 
the  Public  Good.  Taking  the  Republic  as  a  whole,  no  nation  in 
the  world  shows  greater  thrift  than  our  own  highly  favored  land. 
The  first  three  savings  banks  in  America  were  established  in 
18 16-18 1 7  in  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and  New  York.  In  1820  the 
total  deposits  in  these  institutions  amounted  to  but  little  more 
than  $1,000,000.  To-day  they  reach  far  more  than  four  thou- 
sand times  that  sum  ! 3  The  greater  part  of  this  mass  of  money 
is  the  result  of  years  of  patient  toil  by  an  army  of  workers  who 
believe  in  Franklin's  advice  :   "  Save  and  have." 

The  steady  growth  of  these  banks  is  an  index  of  the  general 
growth  in  prosperity  which  is  going  on  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
among  all  classes.  The  estimated  increase  of  the  real  and  per- 
sonal property  of  the  United  States  from  1880  to  1890  was  nearly 
50  per  cent.  The  census  returns  of  1900  showed  that  the  "true 
valuation"  or  fair  selling  price  of  the  total  property  of  the  country 
on  the  eve  of  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century  fell  only  a 
little  short  of  $100,000,000,000.  Ten  years  later  it  was  roughly 
estimated  by  the  Census  Department  at  $142,000,000,000. 

1  The  U.  S.  Forest  Service  reports  (1909)  that  the  demand  for  lumber,  railway  ties,  wood 
pulp,  fencing,  etc., now  requires  the  cutting  of  over  100,000  acres  of  timber  every  day  in  the  year. 

2  On  January  1,  1908,  the  national  forests  west  of  the  Mississippi  River  covered  about 
234,000  square  miles.  Three  years  later  the  government  passed  a  law  providing  for  the 
creation  of  national  forests  east  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  Appalachian  range. 

3  The  total  deposits  in  the  savings  banks  of  the  United  States  in  1909  were,  in  round 
numbers,  over  #3,700,000,000,  and  in  191 1  they  were  over  #4,212,000,000.  This  is  very  much 
larger  than  the  deposits  in  such  banks  in  any  other  country  in  the  world. 


1902] 


THE  "OPEN  DOOR"  IN  CHINA 


387 


It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  side  by  side  with  this  great  accu- 
mulation of  property  there  is  wise  and  generous  giving.  Ex-Presi- 
dent Eliot  of  Harvard  University  says  that  no  people  anywhere 
have  equaled  our  countrymen  in  what  they  have  done  and  are 
doing  for  the  support  of  schools,  churches,  and  charities. 

Figures  prove  the  truth  of  this  statement.  Not  reckoning  what 
was  contributed  to  churches,  the  private  citizens  of  the  United 
States  gave,  in  the  course  of  a  single  year  (1907- 1908),  nearly 


Carnegie  Institute,  Pittsburgh 

$150,000,000  —  or  practically  half  a  million  dollars  for  every 
working  day  —  to  help  forward  the  cause  of  education,  to  estab- 
lish libraries  and  art  museums,  to  endow  homes  for  friendless 
children,  for  the  aged  poor,  and  hospitals  for  the  sick  and  the 
suffering.1  The  whole  amount  now  given  for  such  purposes  averages 
about  $1,000,000,000  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 

424.  The  "OpenJCtoor"  in  China;  The  Hague  Treaty.  Within 
a  few  years  five  of  the  great  nations  of  Europe,  with  Japan, 
obtained  control  of  important  ports  and  sections  of  territory  in 

1  This  included  John  D.  Rockefeller's  gift  of  $32,000,000  for  the  promotion  of  higher  edu- 
cation, Mrs.  Russell  Sage's  gift  of  $10,000,000  for  social  service,  and  Andrew  Carnegie's  gift  of 
nearly  $9,000,000  (to  which  he  has  since  added  $9,000,000  more)  to  the  Carnegie  Institute, 


388       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY    [1900-1903 

China.  England  wished  to  have  all  of  these  made  free  to  the 
commerce  of  the  world,  but  the  other  five  nations  refused  to  give 
their  consent.  John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State,  saved  China  from 
being  broken  up  into  fragments  and  parceled  out  among  the 
powers  of  Europe.  He  too  (1900)  obtained  the  great  privilege 
—  called  the  "  open  door."  It  gives  every  American  the  same 
right  to  buy  or  sell  goods  in  China  that  any  citizen  of  any  foreign 
state  possesses. 

Next,  the  Senate  ratified  The  Hague  Peace  Conference  Treaty. 
By  this  agreement  the  United  States,  with  the  principal  nations 
of  Europe  and  with  Japan,  bind  themselves  to  maintain  a  per- 
petual Court 1  of  Arbitration  in  the  city  of  The  Hague,  the  capital 
of  Holland.  The  object  of  the  Court  is  to  do  away,  as  far  as 
possible,  with  war  between  the  nations  signing  the  treaty.2 

425.  The  Gold  Standard  Act,  1900;  the  Panama  Canal.  When 
the  American  governmentfirst  went  into  operation  the  silver  dollar 
was  made  the  chief  measure  of  value  (§§  202,  373,  396,  400).  In 
1900  a  great  change  took  place,  and  notwithstanding  strong  oppo- 
sition, an  act  was  passed  which  made  the  gold  dollar  the  standard 
measure  of  value.  Whatever  other  money  the  United  States  issues 
must  now  come  up  to  this  new  standard. 

Ever  since  we  came  into  possession  of  California  there  has 
been  talk  of  digging  a  canal  from  ocean  to  ocean,  either  across 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama  or  by  way  of  Lake  Nicaragua.  Early  in 
the  present  century  (1903)  we  ratified  a  treaty  with  Colombia 
for  the  right  of  a  water  way  across  the  isthmus  ;  but  Colombia 
declined  to  grant  it.  The  people  of  the  isthmus  declared  them- 
selves independent  and  took  the  name,  Republic  of  Panama. 
We  then  made  a  canal  treaty  with  the  new  republic  by  which 
we  secured  control  of  a  strip  of  territory  ten  miles  in  width, 
extending  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  for  which  we  paid 
$10,000,000.  We  next  purchased  the  unfinished  French  Panama 
Canal  for  $40,000,000.    We  are  now  pushing  forward  the  great 

1  In  the  past  the  United  States  has  settled  many  serious  disputes  with  other  countries 
by  arbitration.    See  the  Alabama  case  (§374)  and  the  Bering  Sea  case  (§400). 

2  The  Hague  Tribunal  decided  its  first  case  —  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States 
^1902)  —  in  our  favor.    The  Tribunal  will  henceforth  sit  in  the  Carnegie  Palace  of  Peace. 


1900-1903] 


CENSUS  OF  1900 


389 


work  of  excavating  the  canal.  Our  trade  with  the  countries  and 
states  bordering  on  the  Pacific  demands  the  completion  of  the 
water  way  at  the  earliest  practicable  date.  Still  further,  our  ves- 
sels of  war  need  it  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  pass  quickly 
and  easily  from  one  side  of  America  to  the  other,  without  having  to 
make  the  long  and  dangerous  voyage  around  South  America  (§  431). 


Steam  Shovels  excavating  the  Panax\ia  Canal 

426.  Census  of  1900.  The  twelfth  census  (1900)  returned  the 
total  population  of  the  United  States  at  over  76,000,000.  This 
shows  a  gain  of  more  than  20  per  cent  over  the  population  re- 
ported by  the  census  of  1890  (§  397).  Statistics  proved  that 
our  commerce  was  keeping  pace  with  our  growth  in  numbers. 
To-day  we  stand  at  the  head  of  the  nations  of  the  world  in  the 
magnitude  of  our  foreign  trade  (§  407). 

427.  The  Pan-American  Exposition  ;  the  Assassination  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley.  The  following  spring  (1901)  the  Pan-American 
Exposition  1  was  opened  at  Buffalo,  New  York.  It  was  especially 
designed  to  show  the  progress  made  by  the  nations  of  North, 
South,  and  Central  America  m  agriculture,  manufactures,  and 
the  arts.  Furthermore,  its  object  was  to  unite  all  the  nations 
of  the  American  continent  in  closer  commercial  intercourse  for 
their  common  benefit. 

1  Pan-American  Exposition  :  f>an,  a  Greek  word  meaning  "  all." 


390       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1901-1903 

President  McKinley  visited  the  Exposition  in  September  and 
made  his  last  speech  on  that  occasion.  He  then  expressed  the 
hope  that  the  exhibition  would  tend  to  bring  the  United  States 
into  broader  and  freer  trade  relations  with  foreign  countries. 

The  next  day  (September  6),  while  holding  a  reception  at  the 
Exposition,  the  President  was  treacherously  shot  by  a  young  man 
who  came  forward  to  shake  hands  with  him.  The  assassin  *  was 
an  avowed  anarchist  (§  389),  whose  object  was  to  destroy  the  gov- 
ernment. The  wickedness  of  the  crime  was  only  equaled  by  its 
folly,  for  our  history  had  twice  before  proved,  in  the  case  of  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln  (§  358)  and  of  President  Gar- 
field '(§  381),  that  the  murder  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  the 
American  Republic  cannot  overthrow  the  Republic  itself.  Mr. 
McKinley  died  about  a  week  later,  and  under  the  provisions  of 
the  Constitution  Vice  President  Roosevelt2  became  President. 

428.  A_V mirth  ftr^fit  Stpkft j  Wireless  Telegraphy;  the  Pacific 
Cable;  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition;  the  Portland,  Oregon, 
Exposition.  In  the  following  spring  (1902)  the  United  Mine 
Workers  of  the  hard-coal  mines  of  Pennsylvania  struck  for  an 
increase  of  wages  and  for  shorter  hours.3  More  than  140,000 
men  quit  work.  It  was  the  fourth  great  historic  strike  (§§  377, 
397,  401).  For  the  first  time  since  the  first  shovelful  of  hard 
coal  was  dug  in  Pennsylvania  (§  270),  all  of  the  anthracite  mines 
were  shut  down. 

The  strike  lasted  a  little  more  than  five  months.  It  was  finally 
settled  (1902)  by  both  parties  pledging  themselves  to  abide  for 
three  years  by  the  decisions  of  a  Coal  Strike  Commission  appointed 
by  President  Roosevelt.    The  Commission  unanimously  awarded  a 

1  Leon  F.  Czolgosz,  the  assassin,  was  the  son  of  an  emigrant  from  central  Europe ;  he 
was  born  in  theumted  States.    He  was  executed  at  Auburn,  New  York,  in  1901. 

2  See  the  Constitution,  Article  II,  Section  1,  Paragraph  6,  and  compare  §392  on  the 
Presidential  Succession  Act. 

8  The  United  Mine  Workers  offered  to  leave  the  questions  in  dispute  to  the  decision  of 
the  Arbitration  Committee  of  the  National  Civic  Association  (a  body  composed  of  men  of 
high  standing,  representing  not  only  capital  and  union  labor  but  the  interests  of  the  general 
public  as  well).  But  the  managers  of  the  coal  railways  declined  to  accept  the  offer  on  the 
ground  that  they  considered  that  the  Arbitration  Committee  did  nothave  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  coal  mining. 


1902-1963] 


THE  GREAT  COAL  STRIKE 


391 


moderate  increase  of  wages  and  some  reduction  in  hours  of  labor. 
It  furthermore  required  that  future  disputes  should  be  settled  by 
arbitration,  and  that  all  men  engaged  in  the  mines,  whether  mem- 
bers of  the  union  or  independent  workers,  should  be  equally  pro- 
tected in  their  right  to  labor. 

The  Commission  estimated  the  cost  of  the  strike  to  all  parties 
directly  concerned  in  it  at  nearly  $100,000,000.  But  no  figures 
could  show  the  loss  and   suffering  endured   by  the  public ;   for 


^      '  Miners  at  Work  in  a 

Coal  Mine 

throughout  the  winter  millions  of  people  had 
to  choose  between  doing  without  fuel  or  paying 
enormous  prices  for  it. 

Late  in  the  same  year  (1902)  another  event  of  much  interest 
occurred.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Americans  laid  the  first 
telegraphic  cable  to  Europe  (§  367).  They  now  finished  laying 
one  between  San  Francisco  and  Hawaii.  The  line  was  then  car- 
ried to  Manila,  where  it  connects  with  one  to  Hongkong.  The 
next  Fourth  of  July  President  Roosevelt  sent  a  message  over 
this  cable  around  the  world. 

Meanwhile,  President  Roosevelt  (January  18,  1903)  sent  a 
message  of  congratulation  to  King  Edward  of  England  by  Mar- 
coni's wireless  .telegraph  (§284)  from  the  station  at  Wellfleet  on 
Cape  Cod.  This  was  the  first  telegram  sent  through  the  air  from 
the  United  States  across  the  Atlantic.    It  marked  another  step 


392       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1904-1905 

forward  in  that  wonderful  development  of  electrical  science  which 
began  in  this  country,  by  Doctor  Franklin's  experiments,  more 
than  a  century  and  a  half  ago  (§  152).  Experiments  already  re- 
ferred to  (§  373)  seem  to  indicate  that  the  wireless  telephone  may 
be  the  next  step. 

On  the  last  of  April  (1904)  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposi- 
tion was  opened  at  St.  Louis.  It  commemorated  that  day,  when, 
a  hundred  years  before,  we  more  than  doubled  the  area  of  our  coun- 
try by  the  acquisition  of  the  Louisiana  territory  (§§  215,  216).  It 
showed  the  marvelous  growth  of  that  part  of  the  great  West  lying 
between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  year  following  (1905)  Portland,  Oregon,  opened  an  exposi- 
tion which  proved  a  great  success.  It  celebrated  not  only  the 
Lewis  and  Clark  Centennial  (§  216),  but  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing of  the  "  heroic  periods  "  in  the  history  of  that  part  of  the 
United  States  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

429.  Summary.  The  chief  events  of  the  administrations  of 
Presidents  McKinley  and  Roosevelt  (1 897-1905)  were  (1)  the 
enactment  of  the  Dingley  high  protective  tariff ;  (2)  the  enormous 
increase  in  American  exports ;  (3)  the  war  with  Spain,  with  the 
annexation  of  Hawaii,  Porto  Rico,  and  the  Philippines,  and  the 
establishment  of  our  guardianship  over  Cuba ;  (4)  the  wonderful 
agricultural  progress  of  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
with  our  action  toward  the  preservation  of  forests  and  the  irriga- 
tion of  desert  regions ;  (5)  the  growth  of  national  wealth  and  of 
gifts  for  the  public  good ;  (6)  the  passage  of  the  Gold  Standard 
Act;  (7)  the  "open  door"  in  China,  and  The  Hague  Peace  Con- 
ference ;  (8)  our  action  in  regard  to  the  Panama  Canal ;  (9)  the 
assassination  of  President  McKinley;   (10)  the  great  coal  strike; 

(11)  the  laying  of  the  Pacific  telegraph  cable,  and  the  sending  of 
the  first  wireless  telegram  from  the  United  States  to  England ; 

(12)  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition. 


1905] 


ROOSEVELT'S  ADMINISTRATION 


393 


Theodore  Roosevelt  (Republican)1 

430.  Roosevelt's  Administration  (Twenty-seventh  President, 
One  Term,  1905- 1909) ;  Some  Things  Americans  are  doing  in  the 
Twentieth  Century;  how  Disasters  are  met.  In  his  inaugural 
address  President  Roosevelt  said  there  are  two  things  that  we 
should  all  resolve  to  do :  first,  to  keep  whatever  is  good  in  our 
native  land  unwasted  and  unharmed  ;  secondly,  to  make  that  good 
still  better,  for  the  sake  of  those  who  are  coming  after  us.  There 
were  many  who  heard  the  Pres- 
ident's earnest  words  who  could 
truthfully  answer,  That  is  what  we 
are  now  trying  to  do. 

1 .  We  are  working  to  save  time, 
—  "the  stuff,"  as  Franklin  said, 
"  of  which  life  is  made." 

The  American  steam  shovels  are 
cutting  a  passage  for  ships  across 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  from  ocean 
to  ocean.  This  will  make  the  voy- 
age from  New  York  to  San  Fran- 
cisco 8000  miles  shorter  than  that 
around  South  America. 

Next,  as  we  have  already  seen 
(§§250,  251),  the  state  of  New 
York  is  engaged  in  deepening  and  enlarging  the  Erie  Canal. 
When  that  great  work  is  done  immense  new  boats,  moved  by 
steam,  will  go  from  Buffalo  to  New  York  City  in  six  days  —  just 
half  the  time  they  take  now.  They  will  bring  millions  of  bushels  of 
grain  from  the  West2  at  rates  much  lower  than  at  present.  This 
will  make  bread  cheaper  in  the  eastern  states  and  in  Europe  as  well. 

Finally,  we  are  improving  and.  extending  our  railways,  and  tak- 
ing measures  to  secure  greater  safety  in  railway  travel.    We  have 

1  Born  in  New  York,  1858  (§417,  note  1)  ;  elected  Vice  President,  1900 ;  became  Presi- 
dent, 1901  ;  awarded  the  Nobel  Peace  Prize,  $40,000,  1906,  with  which  he  endowed  the 
Foundation  for  the  Promotion  of  Industrial  Peace.  Elected  President  by  the  Republicans, 
1904,  over  Alton  B.  Parker,  Democrat.  2  Much  of  this  grain  will  come  through 

the  Soo  Ship  Canal,  which  carries  far  more  freight  than  the  Suez  Canal. 


President  Roosevelt 


394       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1905-1908 


many  more  miles  of  steam  roads  than  all  the  countries  of  Europe 
combined.1  Furthermore,  we  are  increasing  the  speed  of  our  trains. 
By  so  doing  we  save  time  to  every  passenger  and  on  every  car 
load  of  freight ;  here  time  is  money. 

2.  We  are  trying  to  save  health,  without  which  life  is  hardly 
worth  living.    We  are  working  for  the  children,  so  that  they  may 
grow  up  with  strong  bodies  and  active  minds.    We  are  endeavor- 
ing to  secure  pure  food,  and  our  cities  and  villages  are  making 
,.,?r,ir,..r,,--— ~.    rrr^m    efforts  to  obtain  cleaner  streets  and 
gp£|    better  drinking  water. 

It  was  only  about  fifty  years  ago 
that  New  York  planned  the  first 
great  pleasure  ground  in  this  coun- 
try and  named  it  Central  Park.  To- 
day every  leading  American  city 
has  one  or  more  such  open  spaces, 
including  playgrounds  for  children 
and  ball  grounds  where  all  can  freely 
enjoy  fresh  air  and  sunshine. 

We  have  laid  out  national  parks 
on  a  generous  scale.  They  will  pre- 
serve some  of  the  grandest  moun- 
tain, river,  lake,  and  forest  scenery 
in  the  world.  We  have  one  such 
park  in  the  Yosemite  Valley  in 
California,  another  in  the  valley  of 
the  Yellowstone  River  in  Wyoming,  a  third  at  Mt.  Rainier  in 
Washington,  a  fourth  at  Crater  Lake  in  Oregon,  a  fifth,  of  Jakes  and 
glaciers,  in  Montana,  a  sixth  in  Oklahoma,  and  a  seventh  in  Colo- 
rado. These,  with  the  Big  Tree  Parks  in  California,  cover  a  space 
more  than  double  that  of  Rhode  Island  and  Delaware  combined. 

Recently  the  national  government  has  recommended  that  we 
make  a  national  park  of  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado 
River  in  Arizona.    It  is  furthermore   hoped   that   Niagara  Falls 


One  of  the  California  "Big 
Trees  " 


1  The  total  length  of  railways  of  the  United  States  at  the  close  of  1904  exceeded  212,000 
miles,  and  in  19 12  it  exceeded  240,000  miles.   Europe  has  in  all  only  about  150,000  miles. 


1905-1908]  SOME  THINGS  WE  ARE  DOING  395 

may  be  preserved.    Then  both  will  become  the  common  property 
of  American  citizens  for  all  time. 

3.  We  are  taking  steps  to  save  our  farming  and  pasture  land, 
our  forests,  our  coal  and  iron  mines,  our  quarries,  our  oil  fields, 
our  natural  gas,  and  the  water  courses  of  our  country,  so  that 
they  shall  be  protected  against  needless  waste ;  we  are  reclaim- 
ing vast  areas  of  desert  regions  by  careful  irrigation,  and  we  are 
beginning  to  reclaim  extensive  marshes  by  drainage.  The  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  employs  a  number  of  trained  men  who 
devote  their  whole  time  to  this  most  important  work. 

They  examine  the  soils  of  the  different  states  and  territories 
to  see  what  crops  will  grow  best  on  them.  They  try  experiments 
with  trees,  plants,  grasses,  vegetables,  grains,  seeds,  fruits,  and 
flowers.  Through  their  labors  our  farmers  are  converting  swamps, 
sand  hills,  and  stony  places  into  broad,  fertile  fields.  In  this  way, 
too,  we  are  drawing  new  riches  from  the  earth,  —  the  mother  of 
nearly  all  the  riches  we  possess,  whether  they  come  from  cotton 
plantations,  grain,  corn,  rice,  or  sugar  fields,  fruit  orchards,  dairy 
and  poultry  farms,  cattle  ranches,  or  from  mines,  quarries,  forests, 
and  streams. 

In  the  spring  of  his  last  term  of  office  (1908)  President  Roose- 
velt invited  the  governors  of  all  the  states  and  territories  of  the 
Union  to  meet  him  in  Washington.  They  gathered  there  to  con- 
sider what  action  we  should  take  to  save  these  natural  resources 
of  America,  which  have  just  been  mentioned.  They  asked  how 
we  could  use  them  to  the  greatest  advantage  and  yet  keep  them 
for  the  longest  possible  time.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  meeting 
was  the  most  important  one  of  the  kind  ever  held  in  the  history 
of  our  country.    Great  good  ought  to  come  from  it  to  us  all. 

4.  But  going  beyond  these  things,  we  are  beginning  to  try  to 
save  the  wear  and  tear  of  human  life.  Not  very  much  has  been 
done  in  this  direction  yet,  but  we  look  forward  with  hopeful  hearts. 
We  believe  that  the  time  will  come  when  we  shall  be  able  to  settle 
all  labor  disputes  in  a  friendly  way.  Then  strikes  and  lockouts 
will  practically  cease.  Better  work  will  be  done  and  better  results 
obtained. 


396       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1905-1908 

Last  of  all,  we  are  trying  to  see  what  can  be  done  to  save  the 
needless  destruction  of  human  life  by  foolish  and  hasty  wars.  For 
even  now,  notwithstanding  all  our  progress,  by  far  the  greater  part 
of  our  enormous  national  revenue  is  spent  either  in  preparation 
for  war  or  in  discharging  debts  and  pensions  incurred  in  our  past 
wars 1 ;  besides  this,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  world  ever  before  saw  so 
many  men  in  uniform,  with  guns  in  their  hands,  as  we  see  now. 
But  there  is  another  side  to  the  picture,  for  never  before  have 
there  been  so  many  wise  and  thoughtful  men  resolved  to  do  all 
in  their  power  to  hold  back  nations  from  unnecessary  fighting. 

We  can  truthfully  say  that,  in  the  main,  the  influence  of 
America  is  on  the  side  of  peace.  Our  record  in  the  arbitration 
of  international  disputes  shows  that  fact  (§§  374,  400,  424).  In 
accordance  with  this  principle,  President  Roosevelt  (1905)  per- 
suaded Japan  and  Russia  to  end  their  terrible  war.  In  the  same 
year  the  United  States  made  a  treaty  or  agreement  with  Mexico  and 
a  number  of  the  republics  of  Central  America  and  of  South  Amer- 
ica, which  promises  to  prevent  many  useless  quarrels.  Recently 
(1907- 1 908)  six  important  arbitration  treaties  have  been  ratified 
with  England,  France,  Italy,  Spain,  Switzerland,  and  Portugal. 

In  these  four  ways  we  Americans  are  trying  to  save  time, 
health,  the  good  earth  on  which  we  live,  and  human  life.  There 
are  more  than  17,000,000  children  in  our  public  schools,  who, 
we  hope,  will  grow  up  to  take  part  in  this  beneficent  work. 

But  recent  events  show  that  Americans  are  developing  another 
kind  of  power.  They  are  manifesting  their  ability  to  face  and 
overcome  widespread  disaster  and  business  panics. 

Reference  has  been  made  (§  372)  to  the  conflagrations  which 
occurred  in  Chicago  (1871),  in  Boston  (1872),  and  to  the  Charles- 
ton earthquake  (1886).  These  calamities  were  followed  by  the 
Galveston   hurricane   (1900),   which   destroyed    more   than   6000 

1  Total  ordinary  expenditures  of  the  national  government  for  1907  were  over  #578,000,000  ; 
of  this  amount  over  #101,000,000  was  spent  on  the  army,- directly  or  indirectly;  over  #97,- 
000,000  on  the  navy;  over  #139,000,000  on  pensions;  and  over  #24,000,000  in  payment  of 
interest  on  the  national  war  debt,  —  or  a  total  of  #363,000,000.  Since  the  government  was  es- 
tablished in  1789  the  total  expenditure  to  1907,  inclusive,  has  been  less  than  #5,000,000,000 
for  civil  and  miscellaneous  expenses,  and  more  than  #15,000,000,000  for  war  expenses. 


1906-1908]  OVERCOMING  DISASTERS  397 

lives,  property  valued  at  $18,000,000,  and  which  swept  away 
much  of  the  very  ground  on  which  the  city  stood.  Four  years 
later  (1904)  the  great  Baltimore  fire  burned  up  property  worth 
upwards  of  $50,000,000.  In  all  these  cases  the  citizens  have 
more  than  made  good  the  devastation,  and  the  rapidly  growing 
port  of  Galveston  has  completed  a  gigantic  sea  wall  to  protect 
the  new  city  for  the  future. 

Two  years  later  (1906)  came  a  still  heavier  blow.  The  Cali- 
fornia earthquake  wrought  havoc  far  beyond  anything  the  country 
had  ever  before  experienced.  Its  destructive  force  showed  itself 
on  the  greatest  scale  at  San  Francisco,  where  scores  of  costly 
buildings  were  overthrown.  Fire  completed  the  work  of  devas- 
tation. More  than  200,000  persons  were  rendered  homeless,  and 
property  valued  at  more  than  $400,000,000  was  destroyed. 

The  whole  population  of  the  United  States  rose  to  send  aid  to  the 
stricken  city.  It  was  a  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  with  us  North, 
South,  East,  and  West  form  but  one  country  and  one  people,  and 
that  the  blow  which  strikes  the  remotest  part  is  felt  by  all. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  inhabitants  of  San  Francisco  showed 
their  wonderful  power  of  self-help.  They  proved  what  Americans 
have  proved  more  than  once,  that  is,  that  strength  of  heart  and 
strength  of  will  can  find  ways  to  turn  loss  into  gain.  Standing  in 
the  midst  of  confusion  and  desolation,  they  set  their  hands  to  the 
work,  and  above  the  ruins  and  the  ashes  of  their  old  home  they 
are  building  a  new  and  grander  city. 

In  the  same  spirit  the  business  men  of  our  entire  country  met 
the  money  panic  (§§275,  312,  373,  400)  of  a  later  date  (1907). 
Wise  action  saved  us  from  what  might  have  been  enormous  de- 
struction of  business  interests. 

431.  Admission  of  Oklahoma;  Three  Important  Laws;  Cruise 
of  Our  Fleet;  Presidential  Election  (1908);  Japan.  During  1907 
Congress  admitted  the  state  of  Oklahoma  (§  394).  It  was  formed 
by  uniting  Oklahoma  Territory  and  Indian  Territory.  This  makes 
a  total  of  forty-six  states. 

Congress  also  passed  three  other  bills  of  great  importance. 
They  were  the  Railway  Rate  Bill,  —  intended  to  give  greater  power 


398       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


[1908 


to  the  Interstate  Commerce  Act  (§  392),  —  the  Pure  Food  and 
Drug  Bill,  and  the  Meat  Inspection  Bill.  The  object  of  the  two 
last-mentioned  laws  is  to  protect  the  health  of  the  people,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  to  encourage  all  dealers  to  offer  for  sale  the 
best  and  most  wholesome  foods. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  (1907)  a  fleet  of  twenty  of  our  vessels 
of  war  (§  395),  including  sixteen  first-class  battle  ships,  left  Hampton 
Roads,  Virginia,  on  a  voyage  to  San  Francisco  and  Seattle.    The 


- 

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Our  Fleet  leaving  Hampton  Roads  on  its  Voyage  round 
the  World 

"  Good-by  and  good  luck,"  —  President  Roosevelt's  last  words  to  Admiral 
Evans,  commander  of  the  fleet. 

fleet  carried  15,000  men.  It  passed  through  the  dangerous  Straits 
of  Magellan  and  reached  San  Francisco  in  May  (1908).  Visits  were 
paid  to  the  northern  Pacific  coast  and  to  Hawaii,  Manila,  Japan, 
China,  and  Australia.  The  fleet  then  passed  through  the  Suez  Canal 
into  the  Mediterranean,  and,  before  leaving  for  home,  furnished  relief 
to  the  earthquake  sufferers  in  southern  Italy  (1909).  The  total  dis- 
tance covered  is  estimated  at  about  40,000  miles.  Never  before  in  the 
history  of  the  world  has  so  large  a  fleet  undertaken  so  long  a  voyage. 


1905-1909]  SUMMARY,  1905-1909  399 

Meanwhile  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States  had  made 
an  important  agreement  with  the  Japanese  minister  at  Washing- 
ton. Both  pledged  themselves  to  endeavor  to  maintain  peace  in 
the  Pacific  between  America  and  Japan  and  to  follow  the  policy 
of  the  late  Secretary  Hay  (§  424)  in  doing  full  justice  to  the 
rights  of  China. 

432.  Summary.  President  Roosevelt  devoted  part  of  his  ad- 
ministration to  the  Conservation  of  the  great  Natural  Resources 
of  the  United  States.  He  originated  the  important  movement 
which  declared  that  the  soil,  forests,  mines,  quarries,  and  streams 
of  the  nation  should  be  used  for  the  good  of  the  whole  people, 
and  should  be  safeguarded  against  waste  and  destruction. 

Side  by  side  with  this  great  undertaking,  the  American  people 
were  endeavoring  to  make  improvements  in  saving  health,  time, 
and  life.  They  also  sought  to  substitute  arbitration  for  war  in  the 
settlement  of  our  disputes  with  other  nations.  Their  resolute  and 
helpful  spirit  was  likewise  shown  in  the  way  they  met  such  calam- 
ities as  the  earthquake  and  fire  at  San  Francisco. 

Other  noteworthy  events  were  the  admission  of  the  state  of 
Oklahoma,  the  passage  of  the  Railway  Rate  Bill  dealing  with 
commerce  between  the  states,  and  the  enactment  of  laws  to  secure 
pure  food  supplies  and  pure  drugs  and  medicines. 

Finally,  one  of  the  most  interesting  occurrences  of  Mr.  Roose- 
velt's Presidency  was  the  brilliant  success  of  the  voyage  of  the  fleet 
of  twenty  United  States  warships  round  the  world. 

William  H.  Taft  (Republican)1 

433.  Taft's  Administration  (Twenty-eighth  President,  1909- 
1913) ;  how  we  made  a  Remarkable  Discovery.  Mr.  Taft  had  been 
President  but  little  more  than  a  month  when  an  event  of  great 
interest  occurred.    Commander  Robert  E.  Peary,  an  officer  in  the 

1  William  H.  Taft  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1857.  He  graduated  at  Yale  Univer- 
sity, and  in  1883  began  the  practice  of  law  in  his  native  city.  In  1892  he  was  appointed  a 
judge  in  the  United  States  Circuit  Courts.  In  1901  he  was  appointed  the  first  civil  governor 
of  the  Philippines.  In  1904  he  became  Secretary  of  War  in  President  Roosevelt's  Cabinet 
In  1908  he  was  elected  President. 


400       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1909-1913 


United  States  navy,  since  created  a  Rear  Admiral,  set  out  very 
early  in  the  spring,  from  the  shore  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  on  an 
exploring  expedition  northward  across  the  ice  (see  map  on  oppo- 
site page).  Toward  the  end  of  the  first  week  in  April  he  succeeded 
in  getting  to  a  point  far  beyond  that  which  any  previous  explorer 
had  attained.  No  land  was  in  sight ;  nothing,  in  fact,  but  a  seemingly 
endless  expanse  of  frozen  sea. 

Pushing  on,  he  came  to  a  place  which  the  brave  navigators 
of  many  nations  had  tried  in  vain  to  reach  for  a  hundred  years. 

It  looked  to  them,  and  to  the  world, 
as  though  Nature  had  barred  out  all 
advance  in  that  direction  and  was 
resolved  to  keep  the  secret  of  that 
desolate  region  to  herself.  Com- 
mander Peary  believed  that  he  won 
the  great  victory.  He  felt  sure  that 
he  actually  reached  the  North  Pole. 
If  his  reckonings  were  free  from 
error,  —  and  they  have  been  ac- 
cepted by  high  authorities,  —  then 
he  stood,  at  last,  where  no  civilized 
man  ever  stood  before. 

There,  on  a  heap  of  ice,  at  the 
very  top  of  the  globe,  he  planted 
the    Stars    and    Stripes,    and    so 
marked,  with  the  American  flag, 
the   most   remarkable   geographical  discovery  of   modern   times.1 
_  434.  The  New  Tariff.    In  the  course  of  the  following  summer 
({909)  Congress  passed  a  new  Tariff  law  (§  406).    President  Taft 
stated  that  he  was  convinced  that  it  reduced  the  duties  on  several 
hundred  classes  of  imported  goods.    Many  people,  however,  both 
Democrats  and  Republicans,  felt  dissatisfied  with  the  result  and 
called  for  greater  and  for  more  extended  reductions.    Congress 

1  See  Peary's  "The  North  Pole";  The  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  Vol.  XXI,  pp.  3  and 
954  ;  and  Dodd  &  Mead's  "  International  Year-Book  "  for  1909.  But  see  also  the  supplement 
to  the  Encyclopaedia  Americana  for  191 1,  Vol.  II,  pp.  877-888.  On  December  14,  1911, 
Commander  Amundsen,  a  Norwegian  explorer,  discovered  the  South  Pole. 


William  H.  Taft 


\A-<A. 


1909-1013] 


POPULATION  AND  WEALTH 


401 


passed  several  bills  securing  some  of  these  reductions,  that  on  wool 
and  woolen  goods  being  the  most  important,  but  the  President 
considered  it  his  duty  to  veto  them. 

43 5  •  Population  ;  Food  Supply  ;  Wealth  ;  Transportation  and 
Communication  ;  Panama  Canal.  In  taking  the  national  census  of 
19 10  the  Government  employed  no  less  than  70,000  enumerators 
to  count  the  people  living  under  the  protection  of  the  American  flag 
and  owing  allegiance  to  it.  The  enumerators  found  that  the  popu- 
lation of  the  Continental  United  States  was  nearly  92,000,000,  and 
that  including  all  our  Island  Pos- 
sessions it  was  over  100,000,000 
(see  Table  of  States  in  the  Appen- 
dix, p.  xxvii).  America  not  only 
feeds  these  millions  from  her  own 
soil,  —  and  feeds  them  well  too,  — 
but  our  farmers  are  able,  besides, 
to  export  great  quantities  of  food 
to  other  countries  (§  407). 

Furthermore,  estimates  made  by 
the  Census  Department  show  that 
the  wealth  of  the  Republic  has  in- 
creased even  more  rapidly  than  its 
population.  To  realize  what  this 
means  we  must  consider  the  total 
value  of  our  cities,  towns,  farms,  mines,  forests,  and  quarries  ;  next 
of  our  mills  and  factories  ;  then  of  our  railways,  canals,  telegraph 
and  telephone  lines,  electric-light  and  electric-power  plants,  together 
with  all  other  public-service  corporations.  Finally,  we  must  count 
the  money  deposited  in  our  National  Banks  and  Trust  Companies, 
and  add  to  it  $4,000,000,000,  and  more,  of  the  people's  earnings 
held  by  Savings  Banks  (including  the  Government  Postal  Saving 
Banks,  established  in  191 2).  Having  done  this,  we  shall  realize  that 
America  stands  at  the  head  of  the  richest  nations  of  the  world.1 


Peary's  Route  to  the  Pole 


1  Recent  estimates  rate  the  wealth  of  Germany  at  $60,000,000,000,  that  of  France  at 
$65,000,000,000,  that  of  the  British  Isles  at  $80,000,000,000,  and  that  of  the  United  States 
at  $62,000,000,000  more  than  that  of  the  British  Isles  (§  423). 


402       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1909-1913 

In  this  connection  we  see,  too,  that  while  our  numbers  and  our 
wealth  have  grown  vastly  greater,  our  means  for  rapid  transportation 
and  communication  have  also  gained  in  very  marked  degree. 

In  addition  to  the  progress  we  have  made  in  extending  steam 
railways  (§  255)  and  telegraph  and  telephone  lines  (§  284),  we  have 
built  many  thousand  miles  of  electric  railways  (§  373).  These  elec- 
tric roads  form  a  vast  network  of  cheap  and  convenient  transit  for 
the  inhabitants  of  cities,  towns,  and  farming  districts. 

Besides  the  lines  of  steam  cars  and  electric  cars  owned  and 
operated  by  companies,  our  people  possess  an  immense  number  of 
private  cars  or  automobiles.  These  vehicles,  aside  from  their  use  for 
pleasure  riding,  enable  an  increasing  number  of  men  to  carry  on 
their  business  in  cities,  while  they  have  their  homes  in  the  country. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  we  go  into  the  country,  we  find  that  many 
farmers  are  taking  advantage  of  these  convenient  machines.  The 
tiller  of  the  soil  who  owns  a  "gasoline  horse"  is  able  to  carry  his 
light  produce  to  market,  a  score  of  miles  away  from  his  farm, 
and  he  can  also  use  that  "  horse  "  to  do  certain  kinds  of  farm 
work.  If  he  prefers  a  larger  and  more  powerful  machine,  he  can 
seed,  cultivate,  and  harrow  the  soil,  and  he  can  also  haul  heavy 
loads  of  grain  long  distances.1  He  does  all  this  with  the  same  ease 
with  which  city  teamsters  drive  their  automobile  delivery  wagons 
from  stores  to  houses,  or  propel  huge  auto-trucks,  piled  up  with 
boxes,  bales,  and  barrels,  from  steamship  docks  to  warehouses. 

We  have  seen  that  the  steam  railway  locomotive,  which  made 
its  first  trip  in  this  country  more  than  eighty  years  ago  (§  254), 
effected  a  revolution  in  passenger  travel  and  in  the  transportation 
of  freight.  In  like  manner  electric  cars  and  automobiles  are  accom- 
plishing a  second  revolution.  Time  may  prove  that  their  work  will 
show  results  as  great  as  those  which  steam  has  wrought.2 

1  Automobile  machines  are  now  employed,  to  a  considerable  extent,  for  plowing,  mowing, 
thrashing,  and  doing  other  kinds  of  heavy  farm  work.  Some  large  landowners  in  the  West 
practically  keep  no  horses,  but  only  machines.  The  total  number  of  automobiles  of  all  classes 
registered  in  the  United  States,  July  i,  1912,  was  nearly  860,000. 

2  The  use  of  electricity  for  propelling  trains  on  steam  railways  has  made  considerable 
progress.  Such  trains  are  in  operation  through  the  Hoosac  and  other  tunnels,  and  also  be- 
tween New  York  City  and  Stamford,  Connecticut,  a  distance  of  33  miles.  In  the  course  of 
a  few  years  the  use  of  these  motors  will  probably  become  more  and  more  extended. 


1909-1913] 


THE  PEACE  MOVEMENT 


403 


In  this  connection  attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
expected  that  the  first  vessel  will  pass  through  the  Panama  Canal 1 
from  ocean  to  ocean  (§  425)  some  time  in  191 3  (see  map).  This 
will  open  up  a  new  trade  route  which  will  have  very  important 
effects  on  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  and  of  all  the  other 
great  nations  of  the  world. 

436.  The  Peace  Movement ;  Admission  of  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona. Early  in  the  census  year  (19 10)  Mr.  Edwin  Ginn  of  Boston 
gave  a  large  sum  of  money  to  establish  and 
carry  on  the  World  Peace  Foundation  to 
promote  the  friendship  of  nations.  Later 
on,  Andrew  Carnegie  gave  $10,000,000 
to  form  a  similar  Peace  Fund,  and  a  soci- 
ety was  organized  in  New  York  for  the 
purpose  of  hastening  "  the  abolition  of  in- 
ternational war." 

Several  other  well-known  societies  in  our 
country  are  working  for  the  same  object. 
One  of  the  most  active  of  them  is  con- 
nected with  the  World  Peace  Foundation. 
It  endeavors  to  enlist  the  teachers  and  the 
school  children  of  America  in  this  great 
work  of  cultivating  the  desire  for  the  amica- 
ble settlement  of  serious  national  disputes. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  United  States,  and,  in  fact,  the  leading 
powers  of  the  globe  generally,  still  seem  to  believe  that  it  is  best 
to  keep  a  "  big  stick  "  ready  for  emergencies.  For  this  reason  they 
encourage  the  manufacture  of  every  kind  of  improved  firearms ; 
so,  too,  they  continue  to  build  battle  ships,  torpedo  boats,  "sub- 
marines," and  "  destroyers."  Not  satisfied  with  doing  all  this,  they 
are  constructing  war  balloons  and  aeroplanes  (§  373),  in  order  that 
men  may  fight  in  the  air  just  as  they  now  fight  not  only  on  land 
and  sea,  but  even  under  the  sea.    Still,  though  the  governments  of 

1  The  Panama  Canal  with  its  approaches  is  50  miles  long.  When  completed,  it  can  be 
used  by  the  largest  vessels.  The  artificial  lakes,  created  by  the  Gatun  Dam  on  the  Chagres 
River,  are  24  miles  in  length,  and  the  Culebra  Cut,  through  the  Culebra  Hills,  is  9  miles 
long.  The  total  cost  of  the  Canal  is  estimated  at  about  #400,000,000. 


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PA  CIFTVO C  EA  N 

404       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY    [1909-1913 

the  world  are  not  willing  to  bind  themselves  to  renounce  the  help 
of  sword,  shot,  and  shell  in  time  of  trouble,  they  are  none  the  less 
making  efforts  to  avoid  using  these  death-dealing  implements  with 
the  frequency  they  formerly  did. 

On  the  whole,  the  workers  for  peace  think  the  outlook  is  in 
many  ways  hopeful.  The  Japanese  ambassador  at  Washington  has 
declared  that  he  firmly  believes  that  the  time  is  coming  when  the 
great  contests  between  nations  will  be  fought  out  not  by  armies, 
but  by  a  few  eminent  statesmen.  When  they  meet  he  hopes  it  will 
be  in  the  "  Palace  of  Peace"  at  The  Hague  (§  424),  and  that  they 
will  carry  no  weapons  more  formidable  than  fountain  pens. 

Meanwhile  we  have  added  two  new  stars  to  our  national  flag,  — 
that  glorious  banner  which,  while  it  stands  for  twenty  years  of 
victorious  war,1  and  of  war  nearly  always  waged  in  behalf  of  liberty 
and  of  human  rights,  stands  also  for  more  than  one  hundred  years 
of  honorable  and  prosperous  peace 7  The  two  new  stars  represent 
the  admission  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  (191 2)  to  our  great 
family  of  states,  which  now  numbers  forty-eight  in  all.  These  states 
embrace  the  whole  Continental  area  of  the  Republic,  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  except  the  immense  territory  of  Alaska  (§  368),  —  that 
territory  so  rich  in  natural  resources,  and  so  full  of  promise  for 
the  future  (see  maps  facing  pp.  360  and  382). 

437.  The  Presidential  Election  of  1912.  Three  leading  candi- 
dates competed  for  the  possession  of  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of 
the  American  people.  The  Republicans  resolved  to  reelect  William 
H .  Taft ;  the  Progressives,  a  new  and  independent  party,  made  up 
in  some  measure  of  men  who  had  withdrawn  from  the  regular 
Republican  and  Democratic  parties,  determined  to  win  the  victory 
for  ex-President  Roosevelt ;  while  the  Democrats  felt  certain  they 
could  gain  it  for  Governor  Woodrow  Wilson  of  New  Jersey. 

The  campaign  was  one  of  the  greatest  political  contests  ever 
fought  in  America.  In  the  end  Woodrow  Wilson  was  elected 
President  by  a  very  large  majority. 

1  The  twenty  years  comprise  the  American  Revolution  (§  179),  the  war  with  Tripoli 
(§  214),  the  War  of  1812  (§  226),  the  war  with  Mexico  (§  290),  the  Civil  War  (§  320),  —  a 
victory  for  the  welfare  of  North  and  South  alike,  —  and  the  war  with  Spain  (§  414). 


1909-1913]  GENERAL  SUMMARY  405 

438.  General  Summary.  In  this  book  we  have  endeavored  to 
trace  the  progress  of  our  country  from  its  earliest  period  to  the 
present  time.  We  have  seen  it  grow  from  a  few  feeble  colonies, 
planted  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  to  a  group  of  thirteen  sturdy  and 
independent  states. 

We  have  followed  the  development  of  that  commonwealth  of 
states  and  their  added  territories  into  a  great,  prosperous,  and 
powerful  nation,  which  numbered  at  the  last  census  (19 10)  over 
100,000,000  people,1  and  which  now  not  only  extends  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  but  also  embraces  important  islands  in  both  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Pacific. 

With  the  single  exception  of  Russia  in  Asia,2  the  American 
Republic  controls  the  largest  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  3  under 
the  management  of  any  one  government  on  any  one  of  the  grand 
divisions  of  the  globe. 

Here  every  advantage  is  open.  Education  is  absolutely  free. 
Millions  of  acres  of  Western  lands  still  invite  industrious  settlers. 
Here,  and  here  only,  among  the  leading  civilized  nations  of  the 
world,  no  colossal  standing  army  eats  up  the  daily  earnings  of 
the  people.4  Here  every  law  springs,  or  may  spring,  directly  from 
the  will  of  the  majority. 

These  facts  prove  the  truth  of  the  motto  chosen  for  this  book. 
They  show  that  America  means  Opportunity.  In  closing  this  brief 
history  can  we  do  better  than  ask,  each  one  of  himself,  What  use 
do  I  intend  to  make  of  this  opportunity  ?  The  whole  future  of  the 
Republic  for  good  or  ill,  for  growth  or  decay,  for  glory  or  shame, 
depends  on  the  way  in  which  we  individually  answer  this  question. 

1  The  official  returns  of  the  census  of  1900  gave  a  population  of  76,304,799.  In  1910  the 
total  population  was  given  by  the  Census  Department  at  "  about  101,100,000." 

2  China,  with  its  dependencies,  is  not  excepted,  since  China  Proper  has  but  1,532,420  sq.  mi., 
and  it  is  doubtful  how  far  the  dependencies,  embracing  about  2,744,750  sq.  mi.,  are  actually 
subject  to  the  control  of  the  central  Chinese  government. 

8  The  Census  Report  of  19 10  estimates  the  area  of  the  United  States,  including  Alaska 
and  our  Island  Possessions,  at  3,690,822  sq.  mi. 

4  According  to  the  Statesman's  Year-Book  for  191 1,  the  leading  standing  armies  of 
Europe  are  :  Russia,  over  1,200,000  ;  prance,  with  colonies,  638,500  ;  Germany,  over  622,073  ; 
Great  Britain,  Home  and  Colonial  forces,  over  316,963.  In  February,  1901,  Congress  passed 
an  act  permitting  the  standing  army  of  the  United  States  to  be  increased,  if  needful,  to 
100,000  men.  The  United  States  is  the  only  great  nation  in  the  world,  except  Great  Britain, 
that  does  not  compel  men  to  serve  in  the  regular  army. 


APPENDIX 
DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 

In  Congress,  July  4,  1776 

A  DECLARATION  BY  THE  REPRESENTATIVES   OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES  OF  AMERICA,  IN  CONGRESS  1  ASSEMBLED 

When,  in  the  course  of  human  events,  it  becomes  necessary  for  one  people 
to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have  connected  them  with  another,  and  to 
assume,  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate  and  equal  station  to  which 
the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the 
opinions  of  mankind  requires  that  they  should  declare  the  causes  which  impel 
them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident :  That  all  men  are  created  equal ;  that 
they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  unalienable  rights ;  that  among 
these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  That,  to  secure  these  rights, 
governments  are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  con- 
sent of  the  governed ;  that,  whenever  any  form  of  government  becomes  destruc- 
tive of  these  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  to  abolish  it,  and  to 
institute  a  new  government,  laying  its  foundation  on  such  principles,  and  organiz- 
ing its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  safety 

1  The  First  Continental  or  General  Congress  met  in  Carpenters'  Hall,  Philadelphia, 
September  5,  1774.  It  consisted  of  forty-four  delegates,  representing  eleven  of  the  thirteen 
colonies.  Later,  eleven  more  delegates  took  their  seats,  and  all  of  the  colonies  were  repre- 
sented except  Georgia,  which  promised  to  concur  with  "  her  sister  colonies  "  in  their  effort 
to  maintain  their  rights  as  English  subjects.  Peyton  Randolph  of  Virginia  was  elected 
President  of  the  Congress.  Among  the  distinguished  men  who  had  assembled  there,  were 
Washington,  Patrick  Henry,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  John  Dickinson,  William  Livingston,  John 
Jay,  John  Adams,  Samuel  Adams,  Roger  Sherman,  and  the  Rutledges  of  South  Carolina. 

On  the  14th  of  October  the  Congress  adopted  a  Declaration  of  Colonial  Rights.  On  the 
26th  a  Petition  to  the  King,  asking  the  redress  of  their  wrongs,  was  drawn  up. 

The  Second  Continental  Congress  (at  which  Georgia  was  represented)  met  in  Phila- 
delphia, in  the  State  House  (Independence  Hall),  May  10,  1775.  A  second  Petition  to  the 
King  was  adopted,  and  Washington  was  appointed  commander  in  chief  of  the  Continental 
army,  though  Congress  still  denied  any  intention  of  separating  from  Great  Britain,  and 
earnestly  expressed  a  desire  for  the  peaceful  settlement  of  all  difficulties. 

The  King's  Proclamation,  declaring  the  colonies  in  rebellion,  and  calling  for  volunteers 
to  force  them  to  submit  to  taxation  without  representation,  and  other  unjust  measures,  finally 
convinced  the  delegates  to  Congress  of  the  impossibility  of  our  continuing  our  allegiance  to 
the  English  crown. 

On  June  7,  1776,  Richard  Henry  Lee  of  Virginia  moved  "That  these  United  Colonies 
are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be, /rev  and  independent  States ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all 


ii  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

and  happiness.  Prudence,  indeed,  will  dictate  that  governments  long  established 
should  not  be  changed  for  light  and  transient  causes ;  and  accordingly  all  experi- 
ence hath  shown  that  mankind  are  more  disposed  to  suffer  while  evils  are  suffer- 
able,  than  to  right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are  accustomed. 
But  when  a  long  train  Of  abuses  and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably  the  same 
object,  evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  despotism,  it  is  their  right, 
it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such  government,  and  to  provide  new  guards  for 
their  future  security.  Such  has  been  the  patient  sufferance  of  these  colonies ; 
and  such  is  now  the  necessity  which  constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  systems 
of  government.  The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great  Britain  is  a  history  of 
repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  having  in  direct  object  the  establishment 
of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these  states.  To  prove  this,  let  facts  be  submitted  to 
a  candid  world. 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  necessary  for  the 
public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and  pressing  impor- 
tance, unless  suspended  in  their  operation  till  his  assent  should  be  obtained  ;  and, 
when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected  to  attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large  districts  of 
people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right  of  representation  in  the 
legislature,  —  a  right  inestimable  to  them,  and  formidable  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  uncomfortable,  and 
distant  from  the  depository  of  their  public  records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatigu- 
ing them  into  compliance  with  his  measure. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly,  for  opposing,  with  manly 
firmness,  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  people. 

allegiance  to  the  British  Crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  between  them  and  the  state 
of  Great  Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved."  This  motion  was  adopted  on  July  2. 
John  Adams  of  Massachusetts  seconded  the  motion. 

A  little  later  a  committee  of  five  —  Thomas  Jefferson  of  Virginia,  John  Adams  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Benjamin  Franklin  of  Pennsylvania,  Roger  Sherman  of  Connecticut,  and  Robert 
R.  Livingston  of  New  York  —  was  appointed  to  draft  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
w  From  the  fulness  of  his  own  mind,  without  consulting  one  single  book,  yet  having  in 
memory  the  example  of  the  Swiss  and  the  manifesto  of  the  United  Provinces  of  The  Nether- 
lands," Jefferson  drew  up  the  paper,  though  some  alterations  were  made  in  it  by  the 
committee  and  by  Congress. 

It  was  adopted  on  the  evening  of  July  4,  1776,  and  signed  by  John  Hancock,  President 
of  Congress,  and  Charles  Thomson,  Secretary.  On  August  2,  1776,  it  was  signed  by  the 
members,  representing  all  the  thirteen  states. 

See  Bancroft's  "  United  States"  (author's  last  revised  edition,  1884),  IV,  ch.  26-28,  and 
V,  ch.  1.  For  a  printed  copy  of  Jefferson's  original  draft  of  the  Declaration  with  the  changes 
made  in  it  by  the  committee  and  by  Congress  see  the  "  Madison  Papers,"  I,  pp.  19-27,  or 
the  w  Old  South  Leaflets,"  General  Series,  No.  3.  An  exact  copy  of  the  beginning  of  Jeffer- 
son's original  manuscript  draft,  with  his  corrections,  is  given  in  Winsor's  "  Narrative  and 
Critical  History  of  America,"  VI,  p.  260 ;  see  too,  in  this  connection,  John  Adams'  account 
of  Jefferson's  "Drafting  the  Declaration  of  Independence"  in  Adams'  Works  (1850),  II, 
pp.  513-514,  or  in  Hart's  "Source  Book  of  American  History,"  pp.  147-149.  A  facsimile 
or  exact  copy  of  the  Declaration,  in  manuscript,  as  engrossed  and  signed,  will  be  found  in 
Force's  "American  Archives,"  Series  V,  I,  p.  1597.  The  original  manuscript  itself  is  pre- 
served in  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington. 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE  iii 

He  has  refused,  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolutions,  to  cause  others 
to  be  elected,  whereby  the  legislative  powers,  incapable  of  annihilation,  have 
returned  to  the  people  at  large  for  their  exercise ;  the  state  remaining,  in  the 
mean  time,  exposed  to  all  the  dangers  of  invasions  from  without  and  convul- 
sions within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  states ;  for  that  pur- 
pose obstructing  the  laws  for  the  naturalization  of  foreigners,  refusing  to  pass 
others  to  encourage  their  migration  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions  of  new 
appropriations  of  lands. 

He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice,  by  refusing  his  assent  to  laws 
for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone  for  the  tenure  of  their  offices, 
and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices,  and  sent  hither  swarms  of  officers 
to  harass  our  people  and  eat  out  their  substance. 

He  has  kept  among  us  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies,  without  the  consent 
of  our  legislatures. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of,  and  superior  to,  the 
civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction  foreign  to  our 
constitutions  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws,  giving  his  assent  to  their  acts  of 
pretended  legislation : 

For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us  ; 

For  protecting  them,  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment  for  any  murders  which 
they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these  states ; 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world ; 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent ;  * 

For  depriving  us,  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by  jury ; 

For  transporting  us  beyond  seas,  to  be  tried  for  pretended  offenses ; 

For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighboring  province, 
establishing  therein  an  arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging  its  boundaries,2  so  as 
to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit  instrument  for  introducing  the  same  abso- 
lute rule  into  these  colonies  ; 

For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable  laws,  and  altering, 
fundamentally,  the  forms  of  our  governments ; 

For  suspending  our  own  legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves  invested  with 
power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his  protection  and 
waging  war  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burned  our  towns,  and  destroyed 
the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mercenaries  3  to  complete 
the  works  of  death,  desolation,  and  tyranny  already  begun  with  circumstances  of 

1  This  count  in  Jefferson's  indictment  of  the  "  King  of  Great  Britain  "  is  generally  con- 
sidered to  have  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  American  Revolution. 

2  This  refers  to  Canada  and  the  Quebec  Act  (see  §  160,  note  i). 
8  This  refers  to  the  Hessians  (see  §  166). 


iv  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

cruelty  and  perfidy  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  most  barbarous  ages,  and  totally 
unworthy  the  head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow-citizens,  taken  captive  on  the  high  seas,  to 
bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the  executioners  of  their  friends  and 
brethren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their  hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrection  among  us,  and  has  endeavored  to  bring 
on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers  the  merciless  Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule 
of  warfare  is  an  undistinguished  destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions  we  have  petitioned  for  redress  in  the  most 
humble  terms ;  our  repeated  petitions  have  been  answered  only  by  repeated  injury. 
A  prince  whose  character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a  tyrant 
is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  our  attentions  to  our  British  brethren.  We  have 
warned  them,  from  time  to  time,  of  attempts  by  their  legislature  to  extend  an 
unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  circumstances 
of  our  emigration  and  settlement  here.  We  have  appealed  to  their  native  justice 
and  magnanimity ;  and  we  have  conjured  them,  by  the  ties  of  our  common  kin- 
dred, to  disavow  these  usurpations,  which  would  inevitably  interrupt  our  connec- 
tions and  correspondence.  They,  too,  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and 
consanguinity.  We  must,  therefore,  acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces 
our  separation,  and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  war, 
in  peace  friends. 

We,  therefore,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  General 
Congress  assembled,  appealing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  world  for  the  recti- 
tude of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people 
of  these  colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  declare,  That  these  united  colonies  are, 
and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  states  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from 
all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  between  them 
and  the  state  of  Great  Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved ;  and  that,  as 
free  and  independent  states,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace, 
contract  alliances,  establish  commerce,  and  do  all  other  acts  and  things  which 
independent  states  may  of  right  do.  And,  for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  with 
a  firm  reliance  on  the  protection  of  Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to  each 
other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honor. 

The  foregoing  Declaration  was,  by  order  of  Congress,  engrossed  and  signed 
by  the  following  members  : 

John  Hancock 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  RHODE   ISLAND  NEW  YORK 

Josiah  Bartlett  Stephen  Hopkins  William  Floyd 

William  Whipple  William  Ellery  Philip  Livingston 

Matthew  Thornton  Francis  Lewis 

MASSACHUSETTS   BAY  CONNECTICUT  Lewis  Morris 

Samuel  Adams  Roger  Sherman 

John  Adams  Samuel  Huntington 

Robert  Treat  Paine  William  Williams  Richard  Stockton 

Elbridge  Gerry  Oliver  Wolcott  John  Witherspoon 


NEW  JERSEY 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 


NEW  JERSEY 

{Continued) 

Francis  Hopkinson 
John  Hart 
Abraham  Clark 


PENNSYLVANIA 

Robert  Morris 
Benjamin  Rush 
Benjamin  Franklin 
John  Morton 
George  Clymer 
James  Smith 
George  Taylor 
James  Wilson 
George  Ross 


DELAWARE 

Cesar  Rodney 
George  Read 
Thomas  M'Kean 

MARYLAND 

Samuel  Chase 
William  Paca 
Thomas  Stone 
Charles  Carroll,  of  Car- 
rollton 

VIRGINIA 

George  Wythe 
Richard  Henry  Lee 
Thomas  Jefferson 
Benjamin  Harrison 
Thomas  Nelson,  Jr. 


Francis  Lightfoot  Lee 
Carter  Braxton 

NORTH   CAROLINA 

William  Hooper 
Joseph  Hewes 
John  Penn 

SOUTH   CAROLINA 

Edward  Rutledge 
Thomas  Heyward,  Jr. 
Thomas  Lynch,  Jr. 
Arthur  Middleton 

GEORGIA 
Button  Gwinnett 
Lyman  Hall 
George  Walton 


Resolved,  That  copies  of  the  Declaration  be  sent  to  the  several  assemblies,  con- 
ventions, and  committees,  or  councils  of  safety,  and  to  the  several  commanding 
officers  of  the  continental  troops ;  that  it  be  proclaimed  in  each  of  the  United 
States,  at  the  head  of  the  army. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES1 

(This  copy  of  the  Constitution  conforms  in  wording  and  punctuation  to  the  copy  pub- 
lished by  the  Department  of  State  at  Washington  in  1902  ;  but  in  order  to  facilitate  reference 
to  its  contents,  side  headings,  in  full-face  type,  have  been  prefixed  to  the  paragraphs. 

All  paragraphs,  or  parts  of  paragraphs,  which  are  inclosed  in  brackets  (see,  for  example, 
the  third  paragraph  of  Article  I,  Section  2)  were  either  temporary  provisions  or  they  have 
been  modified  or  superseded. 

Footnotes  have  been  appended  on  all  points  which  seemed  to  require  them.) 

Preamble 

We  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect  union, 
establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common  defense, 
promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and 
our  posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution  for  the  United  States 
of  America. 

1  Before  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4,  1776,  the  thirteen  colonies  were 
subject  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain.  From  July  4,  1776,  the  United  States  of  America 
were  governed  by  a  Continental  or  General  Congress  until  March  1,  1781,  when  the  States 
adopted  a  constitution,  called  the  K  Articles  of  Confederation  and  Perpetual  Union  between 
the  States "  (see  the  Articles  in  Macdonald's  "  Documentary  Source  Book  of  American 
History,"  or  in  Macy's  "Our  Government,"  or  Boynton's  "Civics";  also  in  Hart  and 
Channing's  "  American  History  Leaflets,"  No.  20,  or  the  "  Old  South  Leaflets,"  General 
Series,  No.  2).  The  Confederacy  had  no  President,  no  supreme  court,  and  consisted  of  a 
single  house  of  Congress,  made  up  of  delegates  elected  by  the  legislatures  of  the  States. 
Under  this  constitution  Congress  continued  to  govern  —  in  so  far  as  a  body  with  no  practical 
authority  can  be  said  to  govern  —  until  March  4,  1789;  but  on  May  14,  1787,  a  convention 
of  delegates  from  all  the  States,  except  Rhode  Island,  met  in  Independence  Hall,  Phila- 
delphia, "  to  form  a  more  perfect  union''''  (see  the  opening  words  of  the  Constitution  above). 
The  whole  number  of  delegates  that  eventually  attended  was  fifty-five,  but  only  thirty-nine 
signed  the  Constitution.  The  Articles  of  Confederation  had  been  made  by  the  States 
only ;  but  as  the  opening  words  of  the  new  compact  declare  "  We,  the  people?  made  the 
Constitution. 

George  Washington  presided  over  the  convention,  and  Benjamin  Franklin,  Robert 
Morris,  James  Madison,  Rufus  King,  Roger  Sherman,  Alexander  Hamilton,  John  Dickinson, 
Charles  C.  Pinckney,  Charles  Pinckney,  J.  Rutledge,  and  Gouverneur  Morris  were  among 
its  distinguished  members. 

Washington,  Madison,  Hamilton,  Franklin,  and  Gouverneur  Morris  took  the  leading  part 
in  the  great  work  of  drafting  the  new  Constitution,  and  after  its  adoption  by  the  convention 
Madison  and  Hamilton  used  their  influence,  with  great  effect,  to  urge  the  ratification  by  the 
States,  especially  by  New  York  (see  their  papers  in  the  Federalist). 

The  convention  sat  with  closed  doors  and  maintained  the  utmost  secrecy.  After  a 
stormy  session  of  nearly  four  months,  during  which  the  convention  several  times  threatened 
to  break  up  in  hopeless  dispute,  the  Constitution  was  at  last  adopted  (for  the  compromises 
on  which  it  rested,  see  p.  173,  note  1).  Madison  seems  to  have  been  the  delegate  who 
did  more  than  any  one  else  in  drafting  the  plan  of  the  instrument.    On  that  account  he  is 

vi 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  vii 

ARTICLE  I.    LEGISLATIVE  DEPARTMENT 

Section  i.    Congress 

Legislative  Powers.  All  legislative  powers  herein  granted  shall  be  vested  in  a 
Congress 1  of  the  United  States,  which  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives. 

Section  2.   House  of  Representatives 

Election  of  Members.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  be  composed  of 
members  chosen  every  second  year  by  the  people  of  the  several  states,  and  the 
electors  in  each  state  shall  have  the  qualifications  requisite  for  electors  of  the  most 
numerous  branch  of  the  state  legislature. 

Qualifications.  No  person  shall  be  a  representative  who  shall  not  have  attained 
to  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  and  been  seven  years  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  and  who  shall  not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant  of  that  State  in  which  he 
shall  be  chosen. 

sometimes  called  the  "  Father  of  the  Constitution."  On  the  other  hand,  we  appear  to  be 
indebted  mainly  to  Gouverneur  Morris  for  the  clearness  and  precision  of  the  style  of 
the  document. 

While  the  members  of  the  convention  were  signing  the  Constitution  the  venerable  Dr. 
Franklin,  then  aged  eighty-one,  rose  and  said :  "  I  have  often,  in  the  course  of  the  session, 
and  the  vicissitudes  of  my  hopes  and  fears  as  to  its  issue,  looked  at  the  sun  [painted  on  the 
wall  back  of  the  president's  chair],  without  being  able  to  tell  whether  it  was  rising  or  setting  ; 
but  now,  at  length,  I  have  the  happiness  to  know  that  it  is  a  rising,  and  not  a  setting  sun." 

The  Constitution  was  then  submitted  to  the  Congress  of  the  Confederacy.  That  body, 
after  discussing  it,  sent  it  to  the  State  legislatures ;  they,  in  turn,  submitted  it,  for  final  rati- 
fication, to  the  conventions  chosen  by  the  people  of  the  several  States  (see  Article  VII  of 
the  Constitution).  In  1788  eleven  had  ratified  it  (Rhode  Island  and  North  Carolina  declining 
then,  though  they  gave  their  assent  before  the  close  of  1790),  and  on  March  4,  1789,  the  new 
Constitution  went  into  operation,  although,  owing  to  delays,  Washington  was  not  inaugurated 
as  the  first  President  until  April  30  of  that  year. 

For  a  detailed  account  of  the  action  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  see  Elliot's 
"  Debates  in  the  Convention,"  etc.,  5  vols. ;  Schouler's  "  United  States,"  I,  ch.  1,  or  McMaster's 
w  History  of  the  People  of  the  United  States,"  I,  pp.  389-399,  416-423,  and  436-553.  A  good 
brief  account  of  it  is  given  in  Boynton's  "  Civics." 

A  facsimile,  or  exact  copy,  of  the  original  manuscript  of  the  Constitution  will  be  found  in 
Carson's  "  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Constitution,"  I,  p.  238. 

The  manuscript  itself  and  the  Amendments  are  preserved  in  the  State  Department  at 
Washington. 

Since  the  Constitution  went  into  operation  in  1789,  it  has  been  modified  in  several  ways, 
namely:  (1)  by  amendment  (see  the  Seventeen  Amendments  which  follow  it);  (2)  by  deci- 
sions and  interpretations  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  ;  (3)  by  political  usage, 
especially  respecting  either  the  broad  or  the  strict  construction  of  the  provisions  of  the 
instrument.  See  on  these  points  "pp.  237-238,  with  references,  of  the  "Student's  American 
History"  in  this  series. 

In  this  connection  the  pupil  will  find  an  interesting  chapter  in  Boynton's  "Civics"  on 
the  "  Unwritten  Constitution,"  and  one  in  Macy's  "  Our  Government "  on  the  "  Silences 
of  the  Constitution." 

1  Congress  assembles  on  the  first  Monday  in  December ;  the  first,  or  "  long  session," 
usually  closes  some  time  in  the  following  summer ;  the  second,  or  "  short  session,"  closes,  by 
law,  at  noon  on  March  4.   Each  Congress  exists  two  years. 


viii  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Apportionment.  Representatives  and  direct  taxes  shall  be  apportioned  among 
the  several  States  which  may  be  included  within  this  Union,  according  to  their 
respective  numbers  [which  shall  be  determined  by  adding  to  the  whole  number 
of  free  persons,  including  those  bound  to  service  for  a  term  of  years,  and  exclud- 
ing Indians  not  taxed,  three  fifths  of  all  other  persons].1  The  actual  enumeration 
shall  be  made  within  three  years  after  the  first  meeting  of  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  and  within  every  subsequent  term  of  ten  years,  in  such  manner  as 
they  shall  by  law  direct.  The  number  of  representatives  shall  not  exceed  one 
for  every  thirty  thousand,  but  each  State  shall  have  at  least  one  representative ; 
[and  until  such  enumeration  shall  be  made,  the  State  of  New  Hampshire  shall  be 
entitled  to  choose  three ;  Massachusetts,  eight ;  Rhode  Island  and  Providence 
Plantations,  one  ;  Connecticut,  five  ;  New  York,  six  ;  New  Jersey,  four ;  Pennsyl- 
vania, eight ;  Delaware,  one  ;  Maryland,  six ;  Virginia,  ten ;  North  Carolina,  five  ; 
South  Carolina,  five ;  and  Georgia,  three]  .2 

Vacancies.  When  vacancies  happen  in  the  representation  from  any  State,  the 
executive  authority  3  thereof  shall  issue  writs  of  election  to  fill  such  vacancies. 

Officers ;  Impeachment.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  choose  their 
Speaker  and  other  officers ; 4  and  shall  have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment.6 

1  "Three  fifths  of  all  other  persons."  This  clause  referred  to  slaves  (see  §  196,  note  1, 
paragraph  3).  The  Thirteenth  Amendment  abolished  slavery,  and  the  whole  of  the  clause  con- 
tained in  brackets  was  superseded  by  the  Fourteenth  Amendment. 

2  The  apportionment  of  191 3  (see  Table  of  Representation  in  the  Appendix)  was  one 
representative  for  every  212,407  persons.  The  clause  in  brackets  beginning,  M  and  until  such 
enumeration  "  was  a  temporary  provision. 

3  "  Executive  authority,"  meaning  here  the  governor  of  the  State. 

4  n  Speaker  and  other  officers."  The  Speaker  is  one  of  the  representatives  ;  the  "  other 
officers,"  namely  the  clerk,  sergeant-at-arms,  postmaster,  doorkeeper,  etc.,  are  not  repre- 
sentatives. The  Speaker  is  almost  always  elected  by  the  political  party  which  has  a  majority 
in  the  House,  and  it  is  generally  understood  that  he  will  cast  his  influence  for  that  party. 

Formerly  he  sometimes  availed  himself  of  his  right,  as  a  member  of  the  House,  to  leave 
his  seat  for  a  short  time  in  order  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  debate  of  some  question  of 
unusual  interest.   This  right  he  now  very  seldom  exercises. 

But  he  is  none  the  less  "  the  most  important  figure  in  Congress,"  and  stands  "  next  in 
dignity  and  power  to  the  President." 

In  certain  directions  he  can  control  legislation,  especially  by  preventing  it.  This  he 
does  in  four  ways:  (1)  as  a  rule,  no  member  of  the  House  can  introduce  a  bill  or  speak 
on  any  question  until  the  Speaker  chooses  to  recognize  him ;  (2)  the  Speaker  can  control 
legislation  by  his  power  of  appointment  of  all  committees  to  which  bills  or  drafts  of  proposed 
laws  must  be  referred ;  (3)  he  can  prevent  the  discussion  of  any  proposition  through  his 
power  to  state  questions  and  decide  points  of  order ;  (4)  he  is  chairman  of  an  informal  com- 
mittee which  decides  what  order  of  business  the  House  shall  follow,  and  therefore  what 
measures  shall  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  House. 

These  four  acknowledged  powers  of  the  Speaker  make  him  practically  the  real  head  of 
the  body  which  enacts  the  laws  of  the  nation.    The  Speaker  receives  #12,000  a  year. 

For  an  excellent  abstract  of  the  Speaker's  functions  see  Boynton's  "  Civics,"  pp.  171-173. 
Consult  also  Hart's  "  Speaker  as  Premier,"  in  his  "  Essays  on  American  Government,"  and 
Bryce's  "American  Commonwealth,"  I,  pp.  134-137  and  391. 

5  "  Impeachment."  The  power  to  charge  the  President  or  any  of  the  leading  officers  of 
the  government  with  having  violated  the  Constitution  or  the  laws,  and  to  bring  them  to  trial 
before  the  Senate,  as  in  the  case  of  President  Johnson  (see  §  366) 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  ix 


Section  3.   Senate 

Number  of  Senators  ;  Election.  The  Senate  of  the  United  States  shall  be  com- 
posed of  two  senators  from  each  State,  chosen  by  the  Legislature  thereof,  for  six 
years ;  and  each  senator  shall  have  one  vote. 

Classification.  Immediately  after  they  shall  be  assembled  in  consequence  of 
the  first  election  they  shall  be  divided  as  equally  as  may  be  into  three  classes. 
The  seats  of  the  senators  of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  at  the  expiration  of  the 
second  year ;  of  the  second  class,  at  the  expiration  of  the  fourth  year ;  of  the 
third  class,  at  the  expiration  of  the  sixth  year,  so  that  one  third  may  be  chosen 
every  second  year ;  and  if  vacancies  happen  by  resignation,  or  otherwise,  during 
the  recess  of  the  Legislature  of  any  State,  the  executive  1  thereof  may  make  tem- 
porary appointments  until  the  next  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  which  shall  then 
fill  such  vacancies. 

Qualifications.  No  person  shall  be  a  senator  who  shall  not  have  attained  to 
the  age  of  thirty  years,  and  been  nine  years  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and 
who  shall  not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant  of  that  State  for  which  he  shall 
be  chosen. 

President  of  Senate.  The  Vice  President  of  the  United  States  shall  be  presi- 
dent of  the  Senate,  but  shall  have  no  vote,  unless  they  be  equally  divided. 

Officers.  The  Senate  shall  choose  their  other  officers,  and  also  a  president 
pro  tempore,'2'  in  the  absence  of  the  Vice  President,  or  when  he  shall  exercise  the 
office  of  President  of  the  United  States. 

Trials  of  Impeachment.  The  Senate  shall  have  the  sole  power  to  try  all  im- 
peachments 3  :  When  sitting  for  that  purpose  they  shall  be  on  oath  or  affirmation. 
When  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  tried,  the  Chief  Justice  shall  preside  ; 
and  no  person  shall  be  convicted  without  the  concurrence  of  two  thirds  of  the 
members  present. 

Judgment  in  Case  of  Conviction.  Judgment  in  cases  of  impeachment  shall  not 
extend  further  than  to  removal  from  office  and  disqualification  to  hold  and  en- 
joy any  office  of  honor,  trust,  or  profit  under  the  United  States ;  but  the  party 
convicted  shall  nevertheless  be  liable  and  subject  to  indictment,  trial,  judgment, 
and  punishment,  according  to  law. 

Section  4.   Both  Houses 

Manner  of  electing  Members.  The  times,  places,  and  manner  of  holding  elections 
for  senators  and  representatives  shall  be  prescribed  in  each  State  by  the  Legisla- 
ture thereof;  but  the  Congress  may  at  any  time,  by  law,  make  or  alter  such 
regulations,  except  as  to  the  places  of  choosing  senators.4 

Meetings  of  Congress.  The  Congress  shall  assemble  at  least  once  in  every 
year,  and  such  meetings  shall  be  on  the  first  Monday  in  December,  unless  they 
shall  by  law  appoint  a  different  day. 

1  "  Executive  "  (see  note  3,  p.  viii).  2  "Pro  tempore."   For  the  time  being. 

8  "  Impeachments"  (see  note  5,  p.  viii). 

4  This  is  to  prevent  Congress  from  fixing  the  places  of  meeting  of  the  State 
legislatures. 


x  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Section  5.  The  Houses  Separately 

Organization.  Each  house  shall  be  the  judge  of  the  elections,  returns,  and 
qualifications  of  its  own  members,  and  a  majority  of  each  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  1  to  do  business ;  but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  and 
may  be  authorized  to  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members,  in  such  manner, 
and  under  such  penalties,  as  each  house  may  provide. 

Rules.  Each  house  may  determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  punish  its  mem- 
bers for  disorderly  behavior,  and,  with  the  concurrence  of  two  thirds,  expel  a 
member. 

Journal.  Each  house  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings,  and  from  time  to 
time  publish  the  same,  excepting  such  parts  as  may  in  their  judgment  require 
secrecy,  and  the  yeas  and  nays  of  the  members  of  either  house  on  any  question 
shall,  at  the  desire  of  one  fifth  of  those  present,  be  entered  on  the  journal.2 

Adjournment.  Neither  house,  during  the  session  of  Congress,  shall,  without 
the  consent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  three  days,  nor  to  any  other  place 
than  that  in  which  the  two  houses  shall  be  sitting. 

Section  6.   Privileges  and  Disabilities  of  Members 

Pay  and  Privileges  of  Members.  The  senators  and  representatives  shall  receive  a 
compensation8  for  their  services,  to  be  ascertained  by  law,  and  paid  out  of  the  treas- 
ury of  the  United  States.  They  shall,  in  all  cases  except  treason,  felony,  and  breach 
of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their  attendance  at  the  session  of 
their  respective  houses,  and  in  going  to  and  returning  from  the  same  ;  and  for  any 
speech  or  debate  in  either  house  they  shall  not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

Prohibitions  on  Members.  No  senator  or  representative  shall,  during  the  time 
for  which  he  was  elected,  be  appointed  to  any  civil  office  under  the  authority  of 
the  United  States,  which  shall  have  been  created,  or  the  emoluments  whereof 
shall  have  been  increased,  during  such  time ;  and  no  person  holding  any  office 
under  the  United  States  shall  be  a  member  of  either  house  during  his  continu- 
ance in  office. 

Section  7.   Method  of  passing  Laws 

Revenue  Bills.  All  bills  for  raising  revenue  shall  originate  in  the  House  of 
Representatives ; 4  but  the  Senate  may  propose  or  concur  with  amendments  as 
on  other  bills. 

How  Bills  become  Laws  ;  Veto  Power  of  the  President.  Every  bill  which  shall 
have  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  and  the  Senate  shall,  before  it  become 

1  "  Quorum."   A  number  competent  to  transact  business. 

2  Namely,  the  votes  by  yeas  and  nays  ;  the  entering  of  such  votes  on  the  journal  opposite 
the  names  of  members  fixes  the  responsibility  of  each  for  his  vote.  Notice  that  when  Con- 
gress passes  a  bill  over  the  President's  veto  the  votes  are  always  determined  by  yeas  and 
nays,  and  the  names  of  the  members  voting  are  recorded  in  the  journal  (see  Section  7, 
Paragraph  2,  on  the  veto  power  of  the  President). 

8  "  Compensation."  #7500  a  year  and  twenty  cents  for  every  mile  of  travel  from  and  to  their 
homes  each  annual  session.   There  is  also  an  allowance  of  $125  for  stationery  and  newspapers. 

4  This  power  was  conferred  on  the  House  because  its  members  are  directly  elected  by 
the  people,  from  whom,  in  most  cases,  the  revenue  is  derived.   An  immense  majority  of  all 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  xi 

a  law,  be  presented  to  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  if  he  approve,  he  shall 
sign  it,  but  if  not,  he  shall  return  it,  with  his  objections,  to  that  house  in  which  it 
shall  have  originated,  who  shall  enter  the  objections  at  large  on  their  journal,  and 
proceed  to  reconsider  it.  If,  after  such  reconsideration,  two  thirds  of  that. house 
shall  agree  to  pass  the  bill,  it  shall  be  sent,  together  with  the  objections,  to  the 
other  house,  by  which  it  shall  likewise  be  reconsidered,  and  if  approved  by  two 
thirds  of  that  house,  it  shall  become  a  law.  But  in  all  such  cases  the  votes  of  both 
houses  shall  be  determined  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  the  persons  voting 
for  and  against  the  bill  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal  of  each  house  respectively.1 
If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by  the  President  within  ten  days  (Sundays  ex- 
cepted) after  it  shall  have  been  presented  to  him,  the  same  shall  be  a  law,  in  like 
manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless  the  Congress  by  their  adjournment  prevent 
its  return,  in  which  case  it  shall  not  be  a  law. 

Resolutions,  etc.  Every  order,  resolution,  or  vote  to  which  the  concurrence 
of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  may  be  necessary  (except  on  a 
question  of  adjournment)  shall  be  presented  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States;  and  before  the  same  shall  take  effect,  shall  be  approved  by  him,  or, 
being  disapproved  by  him,  shall  be  repassed  by  two  thirds  of  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives,  according  to  the  rules  and  limitations  prescribed 
in  the  case  of  a  bill. 

Section  8.   Powers  granted  to  Congress 

Enumerated  Powers  of  Congress.    The  Congress  shall  have  power : 

To  lay  and  collect  taxes,  duties,  imposts,  and  excises,  to  pay  the  debts  and 
provide  for  the  common  defense  and  general  welfare  of  the  United  States ;  but 
all  duties,  imposts,  and  excises  shall  be  uniform  throughout  the  United  States ; 

To  borrow  money  on  the  credit  of  the  United  States ; 

To  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations,  and  among  the  several  States,  and 
with  the  Indian  tribes  ; 

To  establish  a  uniform  rule  of  naturalization,  and  uniform  laws  on  the  subject 
of  bankruptcies  throughout  the  United  States  ; 

To  coin  money,  regulate  the  value  thereof,  and  of  foreign  coin,  and  fix  the 
standard  of  weights  and  measures ; 

To  provide  for  the  punishment  of  counterfeiting  the  securities  and  current 
coin  of  the  United  States ; 

To  establish  post  offices  and  post  roads  ; 

To  promote  the  progress  of  science  and  useful  arts,  by  securing,  for  limited 
times,  to  authors  and  inventors  the  exclusive  right  to  their  respective  writings 
and  discoveries ; 

To  constitute  tribunals  inferior  to  the  Supreme  Court ; 

To  ^define  and-Bunish  piracies  and  felonies  committed  on  the  high  seas,  and 
offenses  against  the  law  of  nations ; 

bills  presented  in  the  House  are  "  strangled  "  in  the  committees  to  which  they  are  referred. 
In  one  Congress  nearly  13,000  bills  and  joint  resolutions  were  introduced;  of  these  9632 
were  never  heard  of  again,  and  only  1385  became  laws.  See  Hart's  "  Essays  on  American 
Government,"  p.  9. 

1  See  note  2,  p.  x,  on  votes  by  yeas  and  nays. 


xii  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

To  declare  war,  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal,1  and  make  rules  concern- 
ing captures  on  land  and  water ; 

To  raise  and  support  armies,  but  no  appropriation  of  money  to  that  use  shall 
be  for  a  longer  term  than  two  years ; 

To  provide  and  maintain  a  navy ; 

To  make  rules  for  the  government  and  regulation  of  the  land  and  naval  forces  ; 

To  provide  for  calling  forth  the  militia  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  Union,  sup- 
press insurrections,  and  repel  invasions; 

To  provide  for  organizing,  arming,  and  disciplining  the  militia,  and  for  governing 
such  part  of  them  as  may  be  employed  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  reserv- 
ing to  the  States  respectively  the  appointment  of  the  officers,  and  the  authority  of 
training  the  militia  according  to  the  discipline  prescribed  by  Congress ; 

To  exercise  exclusive  legislation  in  all  cases  whatsoever  over  such  district 
(not  exceeding  ten  miles  square)  as  may,  by  cession  of  particular  States,  and  the 
acceptance  of  Congress,  become  the  seat  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,2 
and  to  exercise  like  authority  over  all  places  purchased  by  the  consent  of  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  in  which  the  same  shall  be,  for  the  erection  of  forts, 
magazines,  arsenals,  dockyards,  and  other  needful  buildings ;  and 

Implied  Powers  of  Congress.  To  make  all  laws  which  shall  be  necessary  and 
proper  for  carrying  into  execution  the  foregoing  powers,  and  all  other  powers 
vested  by  this  Constitution  in  the  government  of  the  United  States,  or  in  any 
department  or  officer  thereof.3 

Section  9.   Powers  forbidden  to  the  United  States 

Absolute  Prohibitions  on  Congress.  [The  migration  or  importation  of  such  per- 
sons as  any  of  the  States  now  existing  shall  think  proper  to  admit,  shall  not  be 
prohibited  by  the  Congress  prior  to  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eight,  but  a  tax  or  duty  may  be  imposed  on  such  importation,  not  exceeding  ten 
dollars  for  each  person.]4 

The  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  6  shall  not  be  suspended,  unless  when 
in  cases  of  rebellion  or  invasion  the  public  safety  may  require  it. 

No  bill  of  attainder  or  ex-post-facto  law6  shall  be  passed. 

1  Letters  granted  by  the  government  to  private  citizens  in  time  of  war  authorizing  them 
to  capture  the  enemy's  vessels. 

2  Namely,  the  District  of  Columbia. 

8  This  is  the  so-called  "Elastic  Clause"  of  the  Constitution,  because  it  confers  upon 
Congress  the  right  to  do  whatever  may  be  necessary  to  carry  out  the  powers  vested  by 
the  Constitution  in  the  national  government.  Compare  this  provision  with  Article  VI, 
Paragraph  2,  on  the  Supremacy  of  the  Constitution,  and  with  the  Tenth  Amendment  on 
State  Rights. 

4  "  Person,"  meaning  slave.  This  temporary  provision  refers  to  the  importation  of  slaves, 
which  was  prohibited  by  Congress  in  1808. 

5  «  Habeas  corpus."  This  writ  requires  an  accused  person,  who  is  in  prison,  to  be  brought 
into  court  in  order  that  it  may  be  determined  whether  he  can  be  legally  held  or  not. 

6  "  Bill  of  attainder  or  ex-post-facto  law."  An  "  attainder  "  was  a  special  act  in  English 
law,  by  which  a  person  could  be  condemned  to  death  or  banished  without  having  the  power 
of  defending  himself  in  a  court  of  justice.  An  "  ex-post-facto  law  "  is  a  law  imposing  punish 
ment  for  acts  committed  before  the  law  was  passed. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  xiii 

No  capitation1  or  other  direct  tax  shall  be  laid,  unless  in  proportion  to  the 
census  or  enumeration  herein  before  directed  to  be  taken. 

No  tax  or  duty  shall  be  laid  on  articles  exported  from  any  State. 

No  preference  shall  be  given  by  any  regulation  of  commerce  or  revenue  to 
the  ports  of  one  State  over  those  of  another ;  nor  shall  vessels  bound  to,  or  from, 
one  State,  be  obliged  to  enter,  clear,  or  pay  duties  in  another. 

No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  but  in  consequence  of  appropria- 
tions made  by  law;  and  a  regular  statement  and  account  of  the  receipts  and 
expenditures  of  all  public  money  shall  be  published  from  time  to  time. 

No  title  of  nobility  shall  be  granted  by  the  United  States :  and  no  person 
holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  under  them,  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the 
Congress,  accept  of  any  present,  emolument,  office,  or  title,  of  any  kind  whatever, 
from^anyTTing,  prince,  or  foreign  state. 

Section  io.   Powers  forbidden  to  the  States 

Absolute  Prohibitions  on  the  States.  No  State  shall  enter  into  any  treaty,  alliance, 
or  confederation  ;  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal ; 2  coin  money ;  emit  bills 
of  credit ;  make  anything  but  gold  and  silver  coin  a  tender  in  payment  of  debts ; 
pass  any  bill  of  attainder,  ex-post-facto  law,3  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of 
contracts,  or  grant  any  title  of  nobility. 

Conditional  Prohibitions  on  the  States.  No  State  shall,  without  the  consent  of 
the  Congress,  lay  any  imposts  or  duties  on  imports  or  exports,  except  what  may 
be  absolutely  necessary  for  executing  its  inspection  laws ;  and  the  net  produce  of 
all  duties  and  imposts,  laid  by  any  State  on  imports  or  exports,  shall  be  for  the 
use  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States ;  and  all  such  laws  shall  be  subject  to 
the  revision  and  control  of  the  Congress. 

No  State  shall,  without  the  consent  of  Congress,  lay  any  duty  of  tonnage,  keep 
troops,  or  ships  of  war,  in  time  of  peace,  enter  into  any  agreement  or  compact 
with  another  State,  or  with  a  foreign  power,  or  engage  in  war,  unless  actually 
invaded,  or  in  such  imminent  danger  as  will  not  admit  of  delay. 

ARTICLE   II.    EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT 
Section  i.    President  and  Vice  President 

Term.  The  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  President  of  the  United  States 
of  America.  He  shall  hold  his  office  during  the  term  of  four  years,4  and,  together 
with  the  Vice  President,  chosen  for  the  same  term,  be  elected,  as  follows : 

Electors.  Each  State  shall  appoint,  in  such  manner  as  the  Legislature  thereof 
may  direct,  a  number  of  electors,  equal  to  the  whole  number  of  senators  and 

1  "  Capitation  "  tax.    One  levied  on  each  head  or  person,  —  a  poll  tax. 

2  "  Letters  of  marque  and  reprisal "  (see  note  i,  p.  xii). 
8  "  Attainder  or  ex-post-facto  law"  (see  note  6,  p.  xii). 

4  The  Congress  of  the  Confederacy  in  1788  fixed  the  4th  of  March,  1789,  for  the  inauguration 
of  the  President,  and  three  years  later  a  law  was  passed  decreeing  that  the  day  selected  should 
continue  to  stand.  It  has  been  said  that  Franklin  first  suggested  the  4th  of  March,  because 
it  was  found  that  for  the  two  ensuing  centuries  that  day  would  fall  on  Sunday  less  often  than 
any  other.   See  the  "  New  Encyclopaedia  Americana,"  Vol.  VII,  article,  ■  Inauguration  Day." 


xiv  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

representatives  to  which  the  State  may  be  entitled  in  Congress : 1  but  no  senator 
or  representative,  or  person  holding  an  office  of  trust  or  profit  under  the  United 
States,  shall  be  appointed  an  elector. 

Proceedings  of  Electors  and  of  Congress.  [The  electors  shall  meet  in  their  respec- 
tive States,  and  vote  by  ballot  for  two  persons,  of  whom  one  at  least  shall  not 
be  an  inhabitant  of  the  same  State  with  themselves.  And  they  shall  make  a  list 
of  all  the  persons  voted  for,  and  of  the  number  of  votes  for  each ;  which  list  they 
shall  sign  and  certify  and  transmit  sealed  to  the  seat  of  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  directed  to  the  president  of  the  Senate.  The  president  of  the 
Senate  shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  open 
all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes  shall  then  be  counted.  The  person  having  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  shall  be  the  President,  if  such  number  be  a  majority  of 
the  whole  number  of  electors  appointed  ;  and  if  there  be  more  than  one  who 
have  such  majority,  and  have  an  equal  number  of  votes,  then  the  House  of 
Representatives  shall  immediately  choose  by  ballot  one  of  them  for  President ; 
and  if  no  person  have  a  majority,  then  from  the  five  highest  on  the  list  the  said 
house  shall,  in  like  manner,  choose  the  President.  But  in  choosing  the  President, 
the  votes  shall  be  taken  by  States,  the  representation  from  each  State  having 
one  vote ;  a  quorum  for  this  purpose  shall  consist  of  a  member  or  members  from 
two  thirds  of  the  States,  and  a  majority  of  all  the  States  shall  be  necessary  to  a 
choice.  In  every  case,  after  the  choice  of  the  President,  the  person  having  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  of  the  electors  shall  be  the  Vice  President.  But  if  there- 
should  remain  two  or  more  who  have  equal  votes,  the  Senate  shall  choose  from 
them  by  ballot  the  Vice  President.]  2 

Time  of  choosing  Electors.  The  Congress  may  determine  the  time  of  choosing 
the  electors,  and  the  day  on  which  they  shall  give  their  votes  ; 3  which  day  shall  be 
the  same  throughout  the  United  States. 

Qualifications  of  President.  No  person  except  a  natural-born  citizen,  or  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  shall  be 
eligible  to  the  office  of  President;  neither  shall  any  person  be  eligible  to  that 
office  who  shall  not  have  attained  to  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  and  been  four- 
teen years  a  resident  within  the  United  States. 

Vacancy.  In  case  of  the  removal  of  the  President  from  office,  or  of  his 
death,  resignation,  or  inability  to  discharge  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  said 
office,  the  same  shall  devolve  on  the  Vice  President,  and  the  Congress  may 
by  law  provide  for  the  case  of  removal,  death,  resignation,  or  inability,  both  of 
the  President  and  Vice  President,  declaring  what  officer  shall  then  act  as  Presi- 
dent ; 4  and  such  officer  shall  act  accordingly  until  the  disability  be  removed, 
or  a  President  shall  be  elected. 

1  See  Table  of  Representation  in  Appendix. 

2  The  whole  of  this  paragraph  in  brackets  has  been  superseded  by  the  Twelfth 
Amendment. 

8  The  electors  are  chosen  on  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  first  Monday  in  November,  pre- 
ceding the  expiration  of  a  Presidential  term.  They  vote  (by  act  of  Congress  of  February  3, 
1887)  on  the  second  Monday  in  January,  following,  for  President  and  Vice  President.  The 
votes  are  counted  and  declared  in  Congress  on  the  second  Wednesday  of  the  following 
February. 

4  See  the  Presidential  Succession  Act  of  1886  (§  392)  = 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  xv 

Salary.  The  President  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  his  services  a  com- 
pensation *  which  shall  neither  be  increased  nor  diminished  during  the  period  for 
which  he  shall  have  been  elected,  and  he  shall  not  receive  within  that  period  any- 
other  emolument  from  the  United  States,  or  any  of  them. 

Oath  of  Office.  Before  he  enter  on  the  execution  of  his  office,  he  shall  take  the 
following  oath  or  affirmation :  "I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  faith- 
fully execute  the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best  of 
my  ability,  preserve,  protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States." 

Section  2.   Powers  of  the  President 

Military  Powers ;  Reprieves  and  Pardons.  The  President  shall  be  commander 
in  chief  of  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  militia  of  the  several 
States,  when  called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  United  States ;  he  may  require 
the  opinion,  in  writing,  of  the  principal  officer  in  each  of  the  executive  depart- 
ments,2 upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices ;  and  he 
shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  for  offenses  against  the  United 
States,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment.3 

Treaties  ;  Appointments.  He  shall  have  power,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  the  Senate,  to  make  treaties,  provided  two  thirds  of  the  senators  present 
concur;  and  he  shall  nominate,  and  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
Senate  shall  appoint  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers  and  consuls,  judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  all  other  officers  of  the  United  States,  whose  appoint- 
ments are  not  herein  otherwise  provided  for,  and  which  shall  be  established  by 
law:  but  the  Congress  may  by  law  vest  the  appointment  of  such  inferior  officers, 
as  they  think  proper,  in  the  President  alone,  in  the  courts  of  law,  or  in  the  heads 
of  departments. 

Fill  Vacancies.  The  President  shall  have  power  to  fill  up  all  vacancies  that  may 
happen  during  the  recess  of  the  Senate,  by  granting  commissions  which  shall  ex- 
pire at  the  end  of  their  next  session. 

Section  3.    Duties  of  the  President 

The  President's  Message  ;  he  may  convene  Congress  ;  he  shall  receive  Public  Min- 
isters, execute  the  Laws,  and  commission  Officers.  He  shall  from  time  to  time 
give  to  the  Congress  information  of  the  state  of  the  Union,4  and  recommend  to 
their  consideration  such  measures  as  he  shall  judge  necessary  and  expedient; 
he  may,  on  extraordinary  occasions,  convene  both  houses,  or  either  of  them,  and 
in  case  of  disagreement  between  them  with  respect  to  the  time  of  adjournment,  he 
may  adjourn  them  to  such  time  as  he  shall  think  proper;  he  shall  receive  ambas- 
sadors and  other  public  ministers ;  he  shall  take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully 
executed,  and  shall  commission  all  the  officers  of  the  United  States. 

1  The  President  receives  $75,000  a  year;  the  Vice  President,  $12,000.  Previous  to  1873  the 
President  received  $25,000  a  year;  from  1873  to  March  4,  1909,  he  received  $50,000  a  year. 

2  The  executive  departments  are  the  Departments  of  State,  the  Treasury,  etc.  (see  §  200 
and  §  392,  note  1) ;  the  heads  of  these  departments  are  members  of  the  President's  cabinet 
or  private  council.  "8  "  Impeachment"  (see  note  5,  p.  viii). 

4  Washington  and  John  Adams  read  their  messages  to  Congress.  Jefferson  sent  his 
written  message  to  that  body,  and  his  example  has  ever  since  been  followed. 


xvi  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Section  4.   Impeachment 

Removal  of  Officers.  The  President,  Vice  President,  and  all  civil  officers  of  the 
United  States,  shall  be  removed  from  office  on  impeachment 1  for,  and  conviction 
of,  treason,  bribery,  or  other  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors. 


ARTICLE  III.   JUDICIAL  DEPARTMENT 

Section  i.   United  States  Courts 

Courts  established ;  Judges.  The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  be 
vested  in  one  Supreme  Court,  and  in  such  inferior  courts  as  the  Congress  may 
from  time  to  time  ordain  and  establish.2  The  judges,  both  of  the  Supreme  and 
inferior  courts,  shall  hold  their  offices  during  good  behavior,  and  shall,  at  stated 
times,  receive  for  their  services  a  compensation3  which  shall  not  be  diminished 
during  their  continuance  in  office. 

Section  2.  Jurisdiction  of  United  States  Courts 

Federal  Courts  in  General.  The  judicial  power  shall  extend  to  all  cases,  in  law 
and  equity,  arising  under  this  Constitution,  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and 
treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  under  their  authority ;  —  to  all  cases  affect- 
ing ambassadors,  other  public  ministers,  and  consuls ;  —  to  all  cases  of  admiralty 
and  maritime  jurisdiction ;  —  to  controversies  to  which  the  United  States  shall 
be  a  party ;  —  to  controversies  between  two  or  more  States ;  —  between  a  State 
and  citizens  of  another  State ; 4  —  between  citizens  of  different  States ;  —  be- 
tween citizens  of  the  same  State  claiming  lands  under  grants  of  different  States, 
and  between  a  State,  or  the  citizens  thereof,  and  foreign  states,  citizens  or 
subjects. 

Supreme  Court.  In  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers  and 
consuls,  and  those  in  which  a  State  shall  be  party,  the  Supreme  Court  shall  have 
original  jurisdiction.6  In  all  other  cases  before  mentioned,  the  Supreme  Court 
shall  have  appellate  jurisdiction,6  both  as  to  law  and  fact,  with  such  exceptions  and 
under  such  regulations  as  the  Congress  shall  make. 

Trials.  The  trial  of  all  crimes,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment,  shall  be  by 
jury;  and  such  trial  shall  be  held  in  the  State  where  the  said  crimes  shall  have 
been  committed ;  but  when  not  committed  within  any  State,  the  trial  shall  be  at 
such  place  or  places  as  the  Congress  may  by  law  have  directed. 

1  "  Impeachment"  (see  note  5,  p.  viii). 

2  Congress  established  nine  Circuit  Courts,  nine  Circuit  Courts  of  Appeal,  a  Court  of 
Claims,  and  one  or  more  District  Courts  in  each  of  the  States,  besides  one  in  Alaska,  Hawaii, 
and  Porto  Rico.    It  has  also  established  a  Commerce  Court  and  a  Court  of  Customs  Appeals. 

3  "  Compensation."  The  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  receives 
a  salary  of  $15,000,  and  the  associate  justices  $14,500  each. 

4  But  compare  the  Eleventh  Amendment. 

6  "  Original  jurisdiction,"  namely  exclusive  jurisdiction. 

6  "  Appellate  jurisdiction,"  that  is,  cases  may  begin  in  the  lower  courts,  and  may  be  carried 
by  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  xvii 

Section  3.   Treason 

Treason  defined.  Treason  against  the  United  States  shall  consist  only  in  levying 
war  against  them,  or  in  adhering  to  their  enemies,  giving  them  aid  and  comfort. 

Conviction  of  Persons  accused  of  Treason.  No  person  shall  be  convicted  of  treason 
unless  on  the  testimony  of  two  witnesses  to  the  same  overt  act,  or  on  confession 
in  open  court. 

Punishment.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  declare  the  punishment  of 
treason,  but  no  attainder  *  of  treason  shall  work  corruption  of  blood,2  or  forfeiture, 
except  during  the  life  of  the  person  attainted.8 

ARTICLE  IV.    RELATIONS   OF  THE  STATES   TO   EACH   OTHER 

Section  i.   Official  Acts 

Rights  of  State  and  Records.  Full  faith  and  credit  shall  be  given  in  each  State 
to  the  public  acts,  records,  and  judicial  proceedings  of  every  other  State.  And  the 
Congress  may  by  general  laws,  prescribe  the  manner  in  which  such  acts,  records, 
and  proceedings  shall  be  proved,  and  the  effect  thereof. 

Section  2.   Privileges  of  Citizens 

Privileges  of  Citizens  of  States.  The  citizens  of  each  State  shall  be  entitled  to 
all  privileges  and  immunities  of  citizens  in  the  several  States. 

Fugitives  from  Justice.  A  person  charged  in  any  State  with  treason,  felony,  or 
other  crime,  who  shall  flee  from  justice,  and  be  found  in  another  State,  shall,  on 
demand  of  the  executive  authority  of  the  State  from  which  he  fled,  be  delivered 
up,  to  be  removed  to  the  State  having  jurisdiction  of  the  crime. 

Fugitive  Slaves  and  Other  Fugitives  held  to  Labor.  [No  person  held  to  service  or 
labor  in  one  State,  under  the  laws  thereof,  escaping  into  another,  shall,  in  conse- 
quence of  any  law  or  regulation  therein,  be  discharged  from  such  service  or 
labor,  but  shall  be  delivered  up  on  claim  of  the  party  to  whom  such  service 
or  labor  may  be  due.]4 

Section  3.   New  States  and  Territories 

Admission  of  States.  New  States  may  be  admitted  by  the  Congress  into  this 
Union  ;  but  no  new  State  shall  be  formed  or  erected  within  the  jurisdiction  of  any 
other  State ;  nor  any  State  be  formed  by  the  junction  of  two  or  more  States,  or 
parts  of  States,  without  the  consent  of  the  Legislatures  of  the  States  concerned 
as  well  as  of  the  Congress. 

1  "  Attainder."  Punishment.  This  seems  to  be  the  meaning  of  the  word  here.  See 
Story's  "  Commentary  on  the  Constitution,"  p.  466. 

2  "  Corruption  of  blood."  Under  the  old  English  law,  since  repealed,  a  person  attainted 
or  convicted  of  treason  was  disabled  from  holding,  inheriting,  or  transmitting  an  estate. 

3  As  a  matter  of  fact,  no  person  in  the  United  States  has  ever  been  put  to  death  for  the 
crime  of  treason. 

4  This  was  the  basis  of  the  first  Fugitive  Slave  Law  in  1793,  and  also  of  the  second  and 
last  in  1850.   This  clause  has  been  superseded  by  the  Thirteenth  Amendment. 


xvm        LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Territory  and  Property  of  United  States.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to 
dispose  of  and  make  all  needful  rules  and  regulations  respecting  the  territory  or 
other  property  belonging  to  the  United  States ;  and  nothing  in  this  Constitution 
shall  be  so  construed  as  to  prejudice  any  claims  of  the  United  States,  or  of  any 
particular  State. 

Section  4.   Protection  of  the  States 

Republican  Government  guaranteed  to  every  State.  The  United  States  shall  guar 
antee  to  every  State  in  this  Union  a  republican  form  of  government,  and  shall  pro- 
tect each  of  them  against  invasion,  and  on  application  of  the  Legislature,  or  of  the 
Executive  (when  the  Legislature  cannot  be  convened)  against  domestic  violence. 


ARTICLE  V.    AMENDMENTS 

Amendments,  how  proposed ;  how  ratified.  The  Congress,  whenever  two  thirds 
of  both  houses  shall  deem  it  necessary,  shall  propose  amendments  to  this  Constitu- 
tion, or,  on  the  application  of  the  Legislatures  of  two  thirds  of  the  several  States, 
shall  call  a  convention  for  proposing  amendments,  which,  in  either  case,  shall  be 
valid  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  part  of  this  Constitution,  when  ratified  by  the 
Legislatures  of  three  fourths  of  the  several  States,  or  by  conventions  in  three 
fourths  thereof,  as  the  one  or  the  other  mode  of  ratification  may  be  proposed  by 
the  Congress ;  provided  [that  no  amendment  which  may  be  made  prior  to  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight  shall  in  any  manner  affect  the  first  and 
fourth  clauses  in  the  ninth  section  of  the  first  article ;  and]  that  no  State,  without 
its  consent,  shall  be  deprived  of  its  equal  suffrage  in  the  Senate.1 


ARTICLE  VI.   GENERAL  PROVISIONS 

Public  Debt.  All  debts  contracted,  and  engagements  entered  into,  before  the 
adoption  of  this  Constitution,  shall  be  as  valid  against  the  United  States  under 
this  Constitution,  as  under  the  Confederation.2 

Supremacy  of  the  Constitution ;  Federal  Laws ;  Treaties  ;  State  Judges.  This 
Constitution,  and  the  laws  of  the  United  States  which  shall  be  made  in  pursuance 
thereof ;  and  all  treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  under  the  authority  of  the 
United  States,  shall  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land ;  and  the  judges  in  every 
State  shall  be  bound  thereby,  anything  in  the  constitution  or  laws  of  any  State  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.8 

Official  Oath ;  Religious  Test.  The  senators  and  representatives  before  men- 
tioned, and  the  members  of  the  several  State  Legislatures,  and  all  executive  and 

1  The  words  inclosed  in  brackets  were  a  temporary  provision. 

2  "  The  Confederation."  The  first  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  adopted  in  1781,  and 
which  was  superseded  by  the  present  Constitution.  There  is  a  second  provision  respecting 
the  public  debt  in  the  Fourteenth  Amendment. 

3  In  the  words  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  the  Constitution,  while  it 
stands,  is  "  A  law  for  rulers  and  people,  equally  in  war  and  in  peace,  and  covers  with  the 
shield  of  its  protection  all  classes  of  men,  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  "  (Judge 
Cooley's  "  Principles  of  Constitutional  Law,"  p.  33). 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED   STATES 


xix 


judicial  officers,  both  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  several  States,  shall  be 
bound  by  oath  or  affirmation  to  support  this  Constitution;  but  no  religious  test1 
shall  ever  be  required  as  a  qualification  to  any  office  or  public  trust  under  the 
United  States. 

ARTICLE  VII.    RATIFICATION  OF  THE  CONSTITUTION 

Ratification.    The  ratification  of  the  Conventions  of  nine  States  shall  be  sufficient 
for  the  establishment  of  this  Constitution  between  the  States  so  ratifying  the  same. 

Done  in  convention,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  States  present,  the 
seventeenth  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  of  America  the  twelfth. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

President,  and  Deputy  from  Virginia 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE 

John  Langdon 
Nicholas  Gilman 


MASSACHUSETTS 

Nathaniel  Gorham 
Rufus  King 

CONNECTICUT 

William  Samuel  Johnson 
Roger  Sherman 

NEW  YORK 
Alexander  Hamilton 

NEW  JERSEY 

William  Livingston 
David  Brearley 
William  Paterson 
Jonathan  Dayton 


PENNSYLVANIA 

Benjamin  Franklin 
Thomas  Mifflin 
Robert  Morris 
George  Clymer 
Thomas  Fitzsimons 
Jared  Ingersoll 
James  Wilson 
Gouverneur  Morris 

DELAWARE 
George  Read 
Gunning  Bedford,  Jr. 
John  Dickinson 
Richard  Bassett 
Jacob  Broom 

MARYLAND 

James  M'Henry 
Daniel  [of  St.  Thomas] 

Jenifer 
Daniel  Carroll 


VIRGINIA 

John  Blair 
James  Madison,  Jr. 


NORTH   CAROLINA 

William  Blount 
Richard  Dobbs  Spaight 
Hugh  Williamson 


SOUTH   CAROLINA 

John  Rutledge 
Charles  C.  Pinckney 
Charles  Pinckney 
Pierce  Butler 


GEORGIA 

William  Few 
Abraham  Baldwin 


Attest:    WILLIAM   JACKSON,  Secretary 


1  See  too  the  First  Amendment,  for  a  second  provision  respecting  religion. 


xx  LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY 


AMENDMENTS 

Religion,  Speech,  Press,  Assemblage,  Petition.  Article  I.1  Congress  shall  make 
no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exer- 
cise thereof; 2  or  abridging  the  freedom  of  speech,  or  of  the  press  ; 3  or  the  right 
of  the  people  peaceably  to  assemble,  and  to  petition  the  government  for  redress 
of  grievances. 

Militia;  Right  to  bear  Arms.  Article  II.  A  well-regulated  militia  being  neces- 
sary to  the  security  of  a  free  State  the  right  of  the  people  to  keep  and  bear  arms 
shall  not  be  infringed. 

The  Quartering  of  Soldiers.  Article  III.  No  soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace, 
be  quartered  in  any  house,  without  the  consent  of  the  owner ;  nor  in  time  of  war 
but  in  a  manner  to  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Unreasonable  Searches.  Article  IV.  The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure 
in  their  persons,  houses,  papers,  and  effects,  against  unreasonable  searches  and 
seizures,  shall  not  be  violated,  and  no  warrants  shall  issue,  but  upon  probable 
cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to 
be  searched,  and  the  persons  or  things  to  be  seized.4 

Criminal  Prosecutions;  Life,  Liberty,  and  Property  Safeguarded.  Article  V. 
No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital,  or  otherwise  infamous  crime, 
unless  on  a  presentment  or  indictment  of  a  grand  jury,  except  in  cases  arising  in  the 
land  or  naval  forces,  or  in  the  militia,  when  in  actual  service  in  time  of  war  or  public 
danger;  nor  shall  any  person  be  subject  for  the  same  offense  to  be  twice  put  in 
jeopardy  of  life  or  limb  ;  nor  shall  be  compelled  in  any  criminal  case  to  be  a  witness 
against  himself,  nor  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property,  without  due  process  of 
law ;  nor  shall  private  property  be  taken  for  public  use,  without  just  compensation. 

Rights  of  the  Accused  in  Criminal  Prosecutions.  Article  VI.  In  all  criminal 
prosecutions,  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the  right  to  a  speedy  and  public  trial,  by  an 

1  These  amendments  were  proposed  by  Congress  and  ratified  by  the  Legislatures  of  the 
several  States,  pursuant  to  the  fifth  article  of  the  Constitution.  The  first  ten  were  offered  in 
1789  and  were  adopted  before  the  close  of  1791.  They  were  for  the  most  part  the  work  of 
Madison.  They  are  frequently  called  the  Bill  of  Rights,  as  their  purpose  is  to  guard  more 
efficiently  the  rights  of  the  people  and  of  the  States. 

Since  the  Constitution  went  into  operation  in  1789  between  one  and  two  thousand 
amendments  to  it  have  been  proposed  in  Congress,  but  only  the  seventeen  given  here  have 
been  accepted  and  ratified.  Of  these,  the  first  twelve  were  ratified  before  the  close  of  1804. 
The  three  relating  to  the  negroes  or  freedmen,  were  ratified  between  1865  and  1870. 

2  "  Religion."  These  two  provisions,  though  they  limit  the  power  of  Congress,  do  not 
restrict  State  legislation.  Judge  Story,  in  his  "  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution,"  says  that 
the  real  object  of  this  limitation  was  to  "cut  off  the  means  of  religious  persecution  (the  vice 
and  pest  of  former  ages)." 

On  the  action  of  Congress  respecting  the  free  exercise  of  religion  in  the  territories,  see 
the  "  Student's  American  History,"  in  this  series,  p.  552,  note  1. 

8  "  Freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press."  On  these  points  Judge  Story  (see  note  2  above) 
quotes  with  approval  the  words  of  Chancellor  Kent  of  New  York,  when  he  said,  "  Every 
citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsible 
for  the  abuse  of  that  right." 

4  This  is  a  prohibition  of  the  use  of  "general  warrants"  such  as  the  "  Writs  of  Assist- 
ance "  (§  154). 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  xxi 

impartial  jury  of  the  State  and  district  wherein  the  crime  shall  have  been  com- 
mitted, which  district  shall  have  been  previously  ascertained  by  law,  and  to  be 
informed  of  the  nature  and  cause  of  the  accusation ;  to  be  confronted  with  the 
witnesses  against  him ;  to  have  compulsory  process  for  obtaining  witnesses  in  his 
favor,  and  to  have  the  assistance  of  counsel  for  his  defense. 

Right  of  Trial  by  Jury  in  Suits  at  Common  Law.  Article  VII.  In  suits  at 
common  law,  where  the  value  in  controversy  shall  exceed  twenty  dollars,  the  right 
of  trial  by  jury  shall  be  preserved,  and  no  fact  tried  by  a  jury  shall  be  otherwise 
reexamined  in  any  court  of  the  United  States  than  according  to  the  rules  of  the 
common  law. 

Excessive  Bail  and  Cruel  Punishments  Forbidden.  Article  VIII.  Excessive  bail 
shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines  imposed,  nor  cruel  and  unusual  punish- 
ments inflicted. 

Reserved  Rights  and  Powers.  Article  IX.  The  enumeration  in  the  Constitu- 
tion of  certain  rights  shall  not  be  construed  to  deny  or  disparage  others  retained 
by  the  people. 

Powers  reserved  to  the  States  or  to  the  People.  Article  X.  The  powers  not 
delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the  Constitution,  nor  prohibited  by  it  to  the 
States,  are  reserved  to  the  States  respectively,  or  to  the  people.1 

Judicial  Power  of  the  United  States  ;  how  construed.  Article  XI.  The  judicial 
power  of  the  United  States  shall  not  be  construed  to  extend  to  any  suit  in  law  or 
equity,  commenced  or  prosecuted  against  one  of  the  United  States  by  citizens  of 
another  State,  or  by  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  foreign  state.2 

Method  of  electing  President  and  Vice  President.  Article  XII.  The  electors 
shall  meet  in  their  respective  States,  and  vote  by  ballot  for  President  and  Vice 
President,  one  of  whom,  at  least,  shall  not  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  same  State  with 
themselves ;  they  shall  name  in  their  ballots  the  person  voted  for  as  President, 
and  in  distinct  ballots  the  person  voted  for  as  Vice  President;  and  they  shall 
make  distinct  lists  of  all  persons  voted  for  as  President,  and  of  all  persons  voted 
for  as  Vice  President,  and  of  the  number  of  votes  for  each,  which  lists  they  shall 
sign  and  certify,  and  transmit  sealed  to  the  seat  of  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  directed  to  the  president  of  the  Senate ;  —  the  president  of  the  Senate 
shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  open  all  the 

1  This  very  important  article  secures  to  the  States  the  full  measure  of  their  right  to  self- 
government  in  distinction  from  the  rights  guaranteed  to  the  federal  government.  Judge 
Story  remarks,  in  his  "  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution,"  that  the  Constitution  "  Being  an 
instrument  of  limited  and  enumerated  powers,  it  follows  irresistibly,  that  what  is  not  con- 
ferred, is  withheld,  and  belongs  to  the  State  authorities,  if  invested  by  their  constitutions  of 
government  respectively  in  them ;  and  if  not  so  invested,  it  is  retained  by  the  people,  as  a 
part  of  their  residuary  sovereignty." 

2  In  1793  suits  were  brought  in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  against  the  States  of 
Georgia  and  of  Massachusetts.  These  proceedings  created  great  alarm  among  all  the  States. 
Georgia  enacted  a  law  punishing  with  death  any  United  States  marshal  who  should  attempt 
to  serve  a  process  upon  her.  Massachusetts  called  for  the  passing  of  an  eleventh  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution  which  should  prohibit  suits  against  a  State  by  citizens  of  another 
State  or  by  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  foreign  state.  The  amendment  was  adopted  in  1798. 
Under  its  provisions  several  States  repudiated  the  payment  of  debts  which  they  considered 
essentially  unjust  and  hence  not  binding  upon  them, 


xxii  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

certificates,  and  the  votes  shall  then  be  counted ;  —  the  person  having  the  greatest 
number  of  votes  for  President,  shall  be  the  President,  if  such  number  be  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number  of  electors  appointed ;  and  if  no  person  have  such 
majority,  then  from  the  persons  having  the  highest  numbers  not  exceeding  three 
on  the  list  of  those  voted  for  as  President,  the  House  of  Representatives  shall 
choose  immediately,  by  ballot,  the  President.  But  in  choosing  the  President,  the 
votes  shall  be  taken  by  States,  the  representation  from  each  State  having  one 
vote ;  a  quorum  for  this  purpose  shall  consist  of  a  member  or  members  from  two 
thirds  of  the  States,  and  a  majority  of  all  the  States  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice. 
And  if  the  House  of  Representatives  shall  not  choose  a  President  whenever  the 
right  of  choice  shall  devolve  upon  them,  before  the  fourth  day  of  March  next 
following,  then  the  Vice  President  shall  act  as  President,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
death  or  other  constitutional  disability  of  the  President.  The  person  having  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  as  Vice  President,  shall  be  the  Vice  President,  if  such 
number  be  a  majority  of  the  whole  number  of  electors  appointed ;  and  if  no 
person  have  a  majority,  then  from  the  two  highest  numbers  on  the  list,  the  Senate 
shall  choose  the  Vice  President ;  a  quorum  *  for  the  purpose  shall  consist  of  two 
thirds  of  the  whole  number  of  senators,  and  a  majority  of  the  whole  number  shall 
be  necessary  to  a  choice.  But  no  person  constitutionally  ineligible  to  the  office  of 
President  shall  be  eligible  to  that  of  Vice  President  of  the  United  States.2 

Slavery  prohibited.  Article  XIII.  Section  i.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary 
servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been 
duly  convicted,  shall  exist  within  the  United  States,  or  any  place  subject  to  their 
jurisdiction.3 

Section  2.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by  appropriate 
legislation. 

Who  are  Citizens  of  the  United  States  ;  their  Rights.  Article  XIV.  Section  1. 
All  perscm^Jjcrnor^naturalized  in  the  United  States,  and  subject  to  the  jurisdic- 
tion thereof,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  State  wherein  they  reside. 
No  State  shall  make  or  enforce  any  law  which  shall  abridge  the  ^"privileges  or 
immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  nor  shall  any  State  deprive  any  per- 
son of  life,  liberty,  or  property,  without  due  process  of  law,  nor  deny  to  any  person 
within  its  jurisdiction  the  equal  protection  of  the  laws.4 

1  "  Quorum."    See  note  1,  p.  x. 

2  According  to  the  provisions  of  Article  II,  Section  1  (see  matter  inclosed  in  brackets), 
the  electors  voting  for  President  and  Vice  President  did  not  designate  the  candidates  by 
name,  but  the  person  who  received  "  the  greatest  number  of  votes,  in  excess  of  a  majority, 
was  to  be  President ;  and  the  person  receiving  the  next  highest  number,  whether  it  was  a 
majority  or  not,  was  to  be  Vice  President.  In  the  election  of  1800  Jefferson,  whom  the 
electors  desired  for  President,  received  the  same  number  of  votes  as  Burr,  whom  they  had 
meant  to  elect  Vice  President."  The  House  (as  the  Article  required)  decided  the  question  by 
choosing  Jefferson  President.  But  as  a  majority  of  the  House  were  Federalists,  while  the  two 
candidates  for  office  were  Republicans,  the  struggle  was  so  protracted  and  so  violent  that  Judge 
Story  says  it  w  threatened  a  dissolution  of  the  government."  This  very  serious  complication 
led  to  the  adoption  of  the  Twelfth  Amendment  in  1804,  which  has  ever  since  been  in  force. 

8  This  article,  adopted  in  1865,  not  only  confirmed  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  of 
1863  (§  340),  but  extended  the  principle,  therein  embodied,  to  the  whole  United  States. 

4  This  article  made  the  negroes  or  "  freedmen  "  citizens ;  it  was  adopted  in  1868.  See 
Rhodes'  "  United  States,"  V,  p.  609  ;  see  also  Guthrie's  "  The  Fourteenth  Amendment,"  p.  1 10. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED   STATES         xxiii 

Apportionment  of  Representatives  ;  Denial  of  Right  to  vote  to  Adult  Male  Citizens 
reduces  the  Basis  of  Representation.  Section  2.  Representatives  shall  be  appor- 
tioned among  the  several  States  according  to  their  respective  TTurn^ersTcounting 
the  whole  number  of  persons  in  each  State,  excluding  Indians  not  taxed.  But 
when  the  right  to  vote  at  any  election  for  the  choice  of  electors  for  President  and 
Vice  President  of  the  United  States,  representatives  in  Congress,  the  executive 
or  judicial  officers  of  a  State,  or  the  members  of  the  Legislature  thereof,  is  denied 
to  any  of  the  male  inhabitants  of  such  State,  being  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  way  abridged,  except  for  participation  in 
rebellion  or  other  crime,  the  basis  of  representation  therein  shall  be  reduced  in  the 
proportion  which  the  number  of  such  male  citizens  shall  bear  to  the  whole  number 
of  male  citizens  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  such  State.1 

Disability  of  Certain  Persons  to  hold  Office.  Section 3.  No  person  shall  be  a  senator 
or  representative  in  Congress,  or  elector  of  President  or  Vice  President,  of  I10W 
any  office,  civil  or  military,  under  the  United  States,  or  under  any  State,  who 
having  previously  taken  an  oath  as  a  member  of  Congress,  or  as  an  officer  of  the 
United  States,  or  as  a  member  of  any  State  Legislature,  or  as  an  executive  or  judi- 
cial officer  of  any  State,  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  shall 
have  engaged  in  insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  same,  or  given  aid  or  com- 
fort to  the  enemies  thereof.  But  Congress  may,  by  a  vote  of  two  thirds  of  each 
house,  remove  such  disability.2 

Validity  of  the  Public  Debt  of  the  United  States  ;  Certain  Debts  and  Claims  Void. 
Section  4.  The  validity  of  the  public  debt  of  the  United  States,  authorized  by 
law,  including  debts  incurred  for  payment  of  pensions  and  bounties  for  services  in 
suppressing  insurrection  or  rebellion,  shall  not  be  questioned.  But  neither  the 
United  States  nor  any  State  shall  assume  or  pay  any  debt  or  obligation  incurred 
in  aid  of  insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  or  any  claim  for  the 
loss  or  emancipation  of  any  slave  ;  but  all  such  debts,  obligations,  and  claims  shall 
be  held  illegal  and  void.  Section  5.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce,  by 
appropriate  legislation,  the  provisions  of  this  article. 

Right  oTtitizens  of  the  United  States  to  Vote..  Article  XV.  Section  1.  The 
right  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote  shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  by 
the  United  States,  or  by  any  State,  on  account  of  race,  color,  or  previous  condition 
of  servitude.3  Section  2.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by 
appropriate  legislation. 

Income  Tax  (1913).  Article  XVI.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  lay  and 
collect  taxes  on  incomes,  from  whatever  source  derived,  without  apportionment 
among  the  several  States,  and  without  regard  to  any  census  or  enumeration. 

Election  of  Senators  by  the  People  (1913).  Article  XVII.  The  Senate  of  the 
United  States  shall  be  composed  of  two  Senators  from  each  State  elected  by 
the  people  thereof  for  six  years,  and  each  Senator  shall  have  one  vote. 

1  This  sentence  was  superseded  by  the  Fifteenth  Amendment. 

2  Congress,  in  1872  and  1898,  did  remove  the  disability. 

8  Adopted  in  1870.  The  Fourteenth  Amendment,  though  it  made  the  negroes  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  did  not  give  them  the  right  to  vote.  The  Fifteenth  Amendment  declared 
that  no  citizen  could  be  denied  that  right  "  on  account  of  race,  color,  or  previous  condition 
of  servitude."  But  it  did  not  prohibit  the  States  from  disfranchising  the  negro  for  other 
reasons,  such  as  want  of  education  or  want  of  property. 


xxiv        LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


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A  SHORT  LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  AMERICAN 

HISTORY 


Bibliography 

Channing  and  Hart's  Guide  to  the  Study  of 
American  History  (1492-1865) 

Adams'  Manual  of  Historical  Literature 

References  in  Winsor's  Narrative  and  Criti- 
cal History  of  America,  8  vols. 

Foster's  References  to  United  States  His- 
tory 

Larned's  Literature  of  American  History 

Historical  Geography,  Territorial  Expan- 
sion, Physiography,  and  Maps 

Hart's  Epoch  Maps  of  the   United  States 

(no  text) 
Scribner's   Statistical   Atlas  of  the    United 

States  (1880) 
MacCoun's    Historical    Geography    of    the 

United  States  (revised  edition) 
Gannett's    Boundaries    of    the    States    (no 

maps) 
Shaler's  United  States,  2  vols. 
Semple's   American    History  and   its   Geo- 
graphic Conditions 
Hitchcock's  Louisiana  Purchase 
Austin's    Steps   in    the    Expansion   of   our 

Territory 
Hulbert's   Historic   Highways   (Roads   and 

Waterways),  16  vols. 

Works  of  Reference 

Macdonald's   Select  Charters  of  American 

History  (1606-1775) 
Macdonald's  Select  Documents  of  United 

States  History  (1776-1861) 
Macdonald's  Select  Statutes  of  United  States 

History  (1861-1898) 
Macdonald's  Documentary  Source  Book  of 

American  History  (1606-1898)  1 
Lalor's  Cyclopaedia  of  United  States  History, 

3  vols. 


Larned's  History  for  Ready  Reference,  6  vols. 
Harper's    Encyclopaedia   of    United    States 

History,  10  vols. 
Mace's  Method  in  History 
Richardson's   Messages,  etc.,  of  the  Presi- 
dents (1789-1901),  10  vols. 
Hart's  Source  Book  of  American  History 
Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, 4  vols. 
Stevenson's  Poems  of  American  History 
Lane  and  Hill's  American  History  in  Liter- 
ature 
Appleton's  Annual  Cyclopaedia  (1876-1902) 
Poole's  Index  to  Reviews 
Index  to  Congressional  Documents 
The  American  Historical  Review 
The  Magazine  of  American  History 
The  Magazine  of  Western  History 
Harper's  First  Century  of  the  Republic 
The  North  American  Review  for  1876  (First 

Century  of  the  Republic) 
Appleton's  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Biog- 
raphy, 6  vols. 
The  National  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Bi- 
ography, 12  vols. 
Sparks'  American  Biography,  25  vols. 
*Morse's  American  Statesmen,  25  vols. 
*Scudder's   American    Commonwealths,    13 

vols. 
*Howe's  The  Beacon  Biographies  of  Emi- 
nent Americans,  15  vols. 
*Oberholtzer's  American  Crisis  Biographies, 

25  vols. 
McMaster's  With  the  Fathers 
Bishop's  American  Manufactures,  2  vols. 
Boone's  Education  in  the  United  States 
Dexter's  Education  in  the  United  States 
Richardson's  American  Literature,  2  vols. 
Wright's  Industrial  Evolution  of  the  United 

States 
Coman's   Industrial  History  of  the  United 
States 


1  This  is  a  selection  of  Documents  from  Macdonald's  first  three  volumes. 
*  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress. 

XXX 


A  LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  AMERICAN  HISTORY      xxxi 


Bryce's  American   Commonwealth,  2  vols. 

(revised  edition) 
Niles'  Register  (1811-1849),  76  vols. 
The  Statesman's  Year-Book  for  1909 

Constitutional  and  Political  History 
and  Diplomacy 

Thorpe's   Short   Constitutional    History   of 

the  United  States 
Thorpe's    Constitutional    History    of    the 

American  People,  2  vols. 
Von  Hoist's  Constitutional  History  of  the 

United  States  (to  1861),  9  vols. 
Curtis'  Constitutional  History  of  the  United 

States,  2  vols. 
Macy's  Our  Government 
Boynton's  Civics 

Carson's  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Con- 
stitution, 2  vols. 
Bryce's   American   Commonwealth,  2  vols. 

(revised  edition) 
Elliot's  Debates  in  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, 3  vols. 
Foster's  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution, 

2  vols. 
Landon's  Constitutional  History 
Poore's   State  Charters  and   Constitutions, 

2  vols. 
Benton's     Abridgment     of     Congressional 

Debates  (1789-1850),  16  vols. 
Wheeler's  History  of  Congress,  2  vols. 
Moore's  History  of  Congress 
Hazard's  State  Papers  (1492-1767),  2  vols. 
Force's    American    Archives    (1 774-1 783), 

9  vols. 
The  Federalist 
Williams'  Statesman's  Manual  (1789-1847), 

2  vols. 
Carson's    History    of    the    United    States 

Supreme  Court 
Boutwell's  The    Constitution    at  the    End 

of  the   Century   (U.  S.  Supreme   Court 

decisions) 
*United  States   Statutes  (and  Treaties)  at 

Large,  34  vols. 
Taussig's  Tariff  History 
Mason's  History  of  the  Veto  Power 
♦Mead's  Old  South  Leaflets,  75  nos. 
*Hart    and   Channing's   American    History 

Leaflets,  24  nos. 
Cooper's  American  Politics 


Wilson's  The  State 

Scott's  Constitutional  Liberty 

Wilson's  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Slave  Power 
3  vols. 

Smith's  Political  History  of  Slavery,  2  vols. 

Curtis'  History  of  the  Republican  Party, 
2  vols. 

Smith's  Liberty  and  Free-Soil  Parties  in  the 
Northwest 

Macdonald's  Charters  of  American  History 
(1605-1775) 

Macdonald's  Select  Documents  of  United 
States  History  (1776-1861) 

Macdonald's  Select  Statutes  of  United  States 
History  (1861-1898) 

Macy's  Political  Parties  (1846-1861) 

McMaster's  Acquisition  of  Rights 

Stanwood's  The  Presidency 

McKee's  National  Conventions  and  Plat- 
forms 

Johnston's  American  Politics 

Woodburn's  Political  Parties 

Merriam's  American  Political  Theories 

Ford's  Political  History  of  the  United  States 

Gordy's  Political  History  of  the  United 
States  ( 1 787-1 828),  2  vols. 

McPherson's  Political  History  of  the  Re- 
bellion 

McPherson's  Political  History  of  Recon- 
struction 

McPherson's  Handbook  of  Politics  (from 
1870),  13  double  vols. 

The  Collected  Words  of  Franklin,  Washings 
ton,  Jefferson,  Hamilton,  Jay,  Rufus  King, 
John  Adams,  Madison,  Morris,  Clay, 
Calhoun,  Webster,  Lincoln,  Seward,  and 
Sumner 

Memoirs  of  J.Q.Adams  (1795-1848),  12  vols. 

Ingersoll's  Recollections  (1792-1803),  2  vols. 

Benton's  Thirty  Years  in  the  Senate  (1820- 
1850),  2  vols.   ' 

Wise's  Seven  Decades  (1790-1862) 

Blaine's  Twenty  Years  of  Congress  (1861- 
1881),  2  vols. 

Sargent's  Public  Men  and  Events  (1817- 
1895),  2  vols. 

Julian's  Political  Recollections  (1840-1872) 

McCulloch's  Men  and  Measures  of  Half  a 
Century  (1833-1883) 

Cox's  Three  Decades  (1855-1885) 

Chittenden's  Personal  Reminiscences  (1840- 
1890) 


*  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress. 


xxxii        LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Sherman's  Recollections  (1855-1895),  2  vols. 

Thompson's  Recollections  of  Sixteen  Presi- 
dents (1789-1865),  2  vols. 

McClure's  Recollections 

Hoar's  Autobiography,  2  vols. 

Snow's  American  Diplomacy  (1783-1893) 

Schuyler's  American  Diplomacy 

Foster's  Century  of  American  Diplomacy 
(1776-1876) 

Hart's  Foreign  Policy  of  the  United  States 

Financial  History 

Dewey's  Financial  History  of  the   United 

States 
White's  Money  and  Banking 
Sumner's  American  Currency 
Bolles'    Financial    History   of   the    United 

States,  2  vols. 

Histories  of  the  United  States  in 
General 

Hart's    History   of    the    American    Nation 

(1492-1907),  27  vols. 
♦Chancellorand  Hewes'  United  States  (1607- 

1909),  10  vols. 
Garner  and  Lodge's  United  States  (1492- 

1905),  4  vols. 
Sparks'  United  States  (1492-1904),  2  vols. 
Elson's  United  States  (1492-1905),  5  vols. 
*Avery's  United  States  (1492-        ),  16  vols. 
Andrews'  United  States  (1492-1902),  5  vols. 
Wilson's  History  of  the  American  People 

(1492-1900),  5  vols. 
Scribner's  United  States  (Bryant  and  Gay, 

revised)  (1492-1896),  5  vols. 
Hart's  Epochs  of  American  History  (1492- 

1889),  3  vols. 
Scribner's  American  History  Series  (1492- 

1889),  7  vols. 
Higginson's  Larger  History  of  the  United 

States  (1492-1837) 
Goldwin  Smith's  United  States  (1492-187 1) 
Winsor's  Narrative  and  Critical  History  of 

America  (1000-1850),  8  vols. 
Schouler's  United  States  (1 783-1865),  6  vols. 
Bancroft's  United  States  (1492-1789),  6  vols. 
H.  H.  Bancroft's  Pacific  States,  34  vols. 
Hildreth's  United  States  (1492-1821),  6  vols. 
Johnston's   United    States    (reprinted   with 

additions  fr©m  the  Encyclopaedia  Britan- 

nica)  (1492-1889) 


Tucker's  United  States  (1607-1841),  3  vols. 

*McMaster's  United  States  (1784-1861),  6 
vols. 

Adams'  United  States  (1801-1817),  9  vols. 

Rhodes'  United  States  (1850-1877),  6  vols. 

Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries (1492-1900),  4  vols. 

*Channing's  United  States  (1492-      ),  8  vols. 

I.  Period  of  Discovery  (1492-1521) 
§  Major's  Select  Letters  of  Columbus 
§Hakluyt's  Divers  Voyages 
§Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vol.  I 
Winsor's  Columbus 
Markham's  Columbus 
Harrisse's  Discovery  of  America 
Fiske's  Discovery  of  North  America,  2  vols. 
Winsor's  America,  Vols.  I— III 
Channing's  United  States,  Vol.  I 

II.   Period  of  Exploration  and 

Spanish  Colonization  of 

America  (i 509-1 587) 

living's  Companions  of  Columbus,  2  vols. 

H.  H.  Bancroft's  Pacific  States,  34  vols. 

§De  Soto's  Conquest  of  Florida  (Hakluyt) 

*Channing's  United  States,  Vol.  I 

Parkman's  France  in  the  New  World 

Cooke's  Virginia 

§Hakluyt's  Voyages  (Goldsmid),  Vol.  XIII, 
pp.  169-276  (reasons  for  colonization) 

§Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vol.  I 

Winsor's  America,  Vols.  II— III 

Edward's  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 

Ellis'  The  Red  Man  and  the  White 

Schoolcraft's  Indian  Tribes,  6  vols. 

Morgan's  League  of  the  Iroquois 

Colden's  Five  Nations 

Parkman's  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac  (ch.  1) 

III.    Period   of   Permanent   Eng- 
lish and  French  Settlements 
(1607-1763) 

§  Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vols.  I— II 
Scribner's  United  States,  5  vols. 
Winsor's  America,  8  vols. 
Doyle's  The  English  in  America,  3  vols. 
Channing's  United  States,  Vols.  I— II 


*  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress.  §  Contemporaneous  or  Early  History. 


A  LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  AMERICAN  HISTORY   xxxiii 


Osgood's  American  Colonies,  2  vols. 

Parkman's  Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New 
World 

Eggleston's  The  Beginners  of  a  Nation 

Eggleston's  The  Transit  of  Civilization 

Eggleston's  Articles  in  the  Century,  Vols. 
III-VIII 

Earle's  Home  Life  in  Colonial  Days 

Thwaite's  Colonies 

Fisher's  Colonial  Period 

Lodge's  English  Colonies 

Parkman's  Frontenac 

Parkman's  Old  Regime  in  Canada 

Parkman's  Jesuits  in  North  America 

Parkman's  Half  Century  of  Conflict,  2  vols. 

Parkman's  Montcalm  and  Wolfe,  2  vols. 

Wood's  Fight  for  Canada 

Winsor's  Mississippi  Basin 

§  Force's  North  American  Colonies,  4  vols. 

Seeley's  Expansion  of  England 

Lecky's  England,  18th  Century,  8  vols. 

Chalmer's  Annals  of  the  Colonies 

Chalmer's  Revolt  of  the  Colonies,  2  vols. 

Goldwin  Smith's  American  Colonies 

§Captain  John  Smith's  Works  (Arber's 
edition) 

§  Brown's  Genesis  of  the  United  States 
(1607-1616),  2  vols. 

§Beverly's  Virginia  (1584-1720) 

§Stith's  Virginia  (1607-1747) 

§Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia 

§Neill's  Virginia  Company 

§Neill's  Virginia  Vetusta 

§Neill's  Virginia  Carolorum 

§Hening's  Statutes  of  Virginia  (1619-1792), 
13  vols. 

Bruce's  Economic  History  of  Virginia,  2  vols. 

Cooke's  Virginia 

*The  Virginia  Magazine  of  History,  etc. 

§Brodhead's  New  York  (1664-1691),  2  vols. 

Roberts'  New  York,  2  vols. 

Wilson's  City  of  New  York,  4  vols. 

Lamb's  City  of  New  York,  2  vols. 

Palfrey's  New  England,  5  vols. 

§Winthrop's  New  England,  2  vols. 

Fiske's  Beginnings  of  New  England 

Weeden's  Economic  History  of  New  Eng- 
land, 2  vols. 

§  Bradford's  History  of  Plymouth 

§  Arber's  Story  of  the  Pilgrims 

§Young's  Chronicle  of  the  Pilgrims 

Goodwin's  Pilgrim  Republic 


Barry's  Massachusetts,  3  vols. 

§  Lowell  Lectures  (1869)  on  Early  Massa- 
chusetts 

§Young's  Chronicles  of  Massachusetts  Bay 

Ellis'  Puritan  Age  in  Massachusetts 

§  Hutchinson's  Massachusetts,  3  vols. 

Oliver's  Puritan  Commonwealth 

Thornton's  Reply  to  Oliver 

Adams'  Emancipation  of  Massachusetts 

Adams'  Three  Episodes  in  the  History  of 
Massachusetts,  2  vols. 

§  Mather's  Magnalia 

§Sewall's  Diary  (1674-1729),  3  vols. 

Winsor's  Memorial  History  of  Boston,  4  vols. 

Arnold's  Rhode  Island,  2  vols. 

Greene's  Rhode  Island 

Trumbull's  Connecticut,  2  vols. 

Johnston's  Connecticut 

Sanborn's  New  Hampshire 

Belknap's  New  Hampshire,  2  vols. 

Browne's  Maryland 

Scharf's  Maryland,  3  vols. 

§Proud's  Pennsylvania  (1681-1742),  2  vols. 

Fisher's  Making  of  Pennsylvania 

Fisher's  Colony  and  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania 

Scharf  and  Westcott's  Philadelphia 

*The  Pennsylvania  Magazine 

Scharf's  Delaware,  2  vols. 

Roper's  North  Carolina 

Williamson's  North  Carolina 

Moore's  North  Carolina,  2  vols. 

McCrady's  South  Carolina,  2  vols. 

Simm's  South  Carolina 

Raum's  New  Jersey,  2  vols. 

Jones'  Georgia,  2  vols. 

Baird's  Huguenot  Emigration  to  America 

Roosevelt's  Winning  of  the  West,  3  vols. 

Hinsdale's  Old  Northwest 

Tyler's  Colonial  Literature 

Biography .  See  Sparks'  American  Biogra- 
phy for  Lives  of  Nathaniel  Bacon,  Daniel 
Boone,  Lord  Baltimore  (Calvert),  Jona- 
than Edwards,  John  Eliot,  Patrick  Henry, 
Anne  Hutchinson,  John  Ledyard,  Cotton 
Mather,  Governor  Oglethorpe,  James  Otis, 
Sir  W.  Phips,  William  Penn,  Count  Rum- 
ford  (Benjamin  Thompson),  Captain  John 
Smith,  Roger  Williams,  Governor  Win- 
throp ;  Bigelow's  Benjamin  Franklin,  3 
vols.,  Montgomery's  Franklin  (Ginn  and 
Company) 


§  Contemporaneous  on  Early  History  *  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress. 


xxxiv      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


IV.   The  Revolution  and  the 
Constitution  (i 763-1 789) 

Winsor's  America,  Vol.  VI 
Scribner's  United  States,  Vols.  III-IV 
Frdthingham's  Rise  of  the  Republic 
Reid's  The  Greatest  Fact  in  Modern  His- 
tory (the  rise  of  the  United  States) 
Lecky's  England  (18th  century),  8  vols. 
Bancroft's  United  States,  6  vols. 
Hildreth's  United  States,  Vols.  I— III 
Hart's  Formation  of  the  Union  (1 750-1829) 
Sloane's  French  War  and  Revolution 
§Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vol.  II 
Greene's  American  Revolution 
Ludlow's  War  of  Independence 
Winsor's  Handbook  of  the  Revolution 
Trevelyan's  American  Revolution,  4  vols. 
Fisher's  True  History  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution 
Fisher's  Struggle  for  American  Independ- 
ence, 2  vols. 
Smith's  Arnold's  March  to  Quebec 
Smith's  Our  Struggle  for  the  14th  Colony 

(Canada),  2  vols. 
Rand's  Economic  History  since   1763   (re- 
vised edition) 
§Stedman's  American  War  (British  account) 
§Almon's  "Prior  Documents"  (1764-1775) 
§Almon's    Remembrancer    (1775-1784),    17 

vols. 
Hosmer's  Life  of  Governor  Hutchinson 
§  Moore's  Diary  of  the  Revolution,  2  vols. 
§Thacher's  Military  Journal 
§  Baroness  Riedesel's  Memoirs 
§  Galloway's  Rise  of  the  Rebellion  (Tory) 
Sabine's  Loyalists 

Carrington's  Battles  of  the  Revolution 
Abbott's  Revolutionary  Times 
Scudder's  America  100  Years  Ago 
Jefferson's  Anas  (in  his  Works),  Vol.  IX 
Gouverneur   Morris'   Diary   (1775-1815),   2 

vols. 
Tyler's  Literature  of  the  Revolution,  2  vols. 
Lossing's   Field    Book   of  the    Revolution, 

2  vols. 
Von  Hoist's  Constitutional  History,  Vol.  I 
McMaster's  United  States,  Vol.  I 
Landon's    Constitutional     History    of    the 
United  States 

1  In  Morse's  American  Statesmen  Series. 
§  Contemporaneous  or  Early  History. 


Kasson's  Evolution  of  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States 

§The  Federalist 

§Elliot's  Debates  on  the  Constitution,  3 
vols. 

Wilson's  The  State 

Foster's  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution, 
2  vols. 

Curtis'  History  of  the  Constitution,  2  vols. 

Fiske's  Critical  Period  in  United  States 
History 

Biography.  Parker's  Historic  Americans, 
Bigelow's  Franklin,  3  vols.,  Hosmer's 
Samuel  Adams,l  Morse's  John  Adams,i 
Greene's  General  Greene,  2  vols.,  Lodge's 
Washington,  2  vols.,1  Fiske's  Irving's 
Washington  and  his  Country  (Ginn  and 
Company),  Sparks'  American  Biography, 
Lodge's  Hamilton,!  Gay's  Madison,1  Roose- 
velt's Gouverneur  Morris  * 

V.   The  Union  — National  De- 
velopment ( 1 789-1 861) 

Schouler's  United  States,  5  vols. 

Scribner's  United  States,  5  vols. 

Hildreth's  United  States,  Vols.  IV-VI 

Wilson's  Division  and  Reunion  (1829-1889) 

Bryce's  American  Commonwealth,  2  vols. 

§  Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vols.  III-IV 

Walker's  The  Making  of  the  Nation 

Winsor's  America,  Vol.  VII 

*McMaster's  United  States  (1784-1861),  6 
vols. 

Tucker's  United  States  (1607-1841),  4  vols. 

Adams'  United  States  (1801-1817),  9  vols. 

H.  H.  Bancroft's  Pacific  States,  34  vols. 

Rhodes'  United  States  (1850-1877),  7  vols, 

Roosevelt's  Naval  War  of  1812 

Lossing's  Field  Book  of  the  War  of  1812 

Cooper's  Naval  History 

Maclay's  History  of  the  Navy,  2  vols. 

Wilson's  Slave  Power,  3  vols. 

Page's  The  Old  South 

Ingle's  Southern  Side  Lights 

Ripley's  War  with  Mexico 

Jay's  Mexican  War 

Richardson's  American  Literature,  2  vols. 

Stedman  and  Hutchinson's  American  Liter- 
ature, 10  vols. 

*  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress. 


A  LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  AMERICAN  HISTORY     xxxv 


Buckingham's  Newspaper  Literature,  2  vols. 

Thomas'  History  of  Printing,  2  vols. 

Bishop's  American  Manufactures,  2  vols. 

Johnston's  American  Politics 

Stanwood's  Presidential  Elections 

§Dwight's  Travels  (1796-1821),  4  vols. 

§  Lewis  and  Clark's  Expedition  (1804-1806), 
2  vols.  (Coues'  edition) 

§Martineau's  Society  in  America  (1834-1836), 
4  vols. 

Johnston's  American  Orations,  4  vols. 

Tuckerman's  American  Art 

Webster's  Great  Orations  (Whipple) 

Hubert's  Lives  of  Inventors 

§Nile's  Register  (1811-1849),  76  vols. 

*Scudder's  American  Commonwealth  Series, 
13  vols. 

Breck's  Recollections  (1771-1862) 

Fred.  Douglass'  Autobiography 

Lyman  Beecher's  Autobiography  (1775- 
1857),  2  vols. 

Curtis'  Buchanan,  2  vols. 

Greeley's  Recollections  (1811-1860) 

Dolly  Madison's  Memoirs 

Quincy's  Figures  of  the  Past 

Goodrich's  Recollections  (i797~i854),2vols. 

S.  J.  May's  Autobiography 

S.  J.  May's  Antislavery  Days 

J.  F.  Clarke's  Antislavery  Days 

Biography.  See  in  Morse's  American  States- 
men Series  (Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.), 
the  Lives  of  John  Adams,  J.  Q.  Adams, 
Benton,  Calhoun,  Clay,  Jackson,  Jeffer- 
son, Madison,  Monroe,  Morris,  Randolph, 
Washington,  and  Webster;  in  Sparks' 
American  Biography,  the  Lives  of  Fulton 
and  Rumford ;  Sanborn's  John  Brown, 
Johnson's  Garrison,  Garrison's  Life  by  his 
Children,  4  vols.,  Prime's  Morse,  Rice's 
Morton,  Abbott's  Kit  Carson,  Upham's 
Fremont,  Parton's  Famous  Americans, 
Mrs.  Stowe's  Men  of  Our  Times,  Hunt's 
American  Merchants 

VI.   The  Period  of  the  Civil 
War  (1861-1865) 

Rhodes'  United  States,  Vols.  II-V 
Scribner's  United  States,  Vols.  IV-V 
Wilson's  Division  and  Reunion  (1829-1889) 
Burgess'  Civil  War,  2  vols. 
Curtis'  Life  of  Buchanan,  2  vols. 

§  Contemporaneous  or  Early  History. 


Greeley's  American  Conflict,  2  vols. 

Draper's  Civil  War,  3  vols. 

The  Comte  de  Paris'  Civil  War,  4  vols. 

Scribner's  Campaigns  of  the  War,  13  vols. 

Schouler's  Civil  War 

Johnson's  Short  History  of  the  War 

Dodge's  Bird's-Eye  View  of  the  Civil  War 

§Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vol.  IV 

Ropes'  Civil  War 

The  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War 
(Century  Company),  4  vols. 

Nichols'  Story  of  the  Great  March 

Conyngham's  Sherman's  March 

Mcpherson's  Political  History  of  the  Re- 
bellion 

Blaine's  Twenty  Years  of  Congress,  2  vols. 

Swinton's  Decisive  Battles  of  the  War 

Haskell's  Battle  of  Gettysburg 

Abbot's  Battle-Fields  of  '61 

Abbot's  Blue-Jackets  of  '61 

Coffin's  Four  Years  of  Fighting 

Coffin's  Drum-Beat  of  the  Nation 

Coffin's  Marching  to  Victory 

Coffin's  Redeeming  the  Republic 

Coffin's  Freedom  Triumphant 

Thayer's  Youth's  History  of  the  Civil  War 

Gilmore's  Lincoln  and  the  Civil  War 

Livermore's  Numbers  and  Losses  in  the 
Civil  War 

Billings'  Hard  Tack  and  Coffee 

Wilkeson's  Recollectionsof  a  Private  (Union) 
Soldier 

Pinkerton's  The  Spy  of  the  Rebellion 

The  Century  Company's  Famous  Adventures 
and  Prison  Escapes  of  the  Civil  War 

Mrs.  Livermore's  My  Story  of  the  War 
(Hospital  Life) 

Abbott's  Prison  Life  in  the  South 

Watson's  Life  in  the  Confederate  Army 

Watson's  The  Adventures  of  a  Blockade 
Runner 

Pollard's  Lost  Cause  (Confederate) 

Davis'  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Confederate 
Government  (Confederate),  2  vols. 

Cooke's  Wearing  of  the  Gray  (Confederate) 

Johnston's  Narrative  of  the  War  (Confed- 
erate) 

Gordon's  Reminiscences  of  the  Civil  War 
(Confederate) 

Stephens'  War  between  the  States  (Con- 
federate), 2  vols. 

*  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress. 


xxxvi       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Longstreet's  From  Manassas  to  Appomat- 
tox (Confederate) 

*Omcial  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
(with  atlas),  160  vols. 

Harper's  Pictorial  History  of  the  Rebellion 

Biography.  Nicolay  and  Hay's  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Holland's  Lincoln,  Herndon's 
Lincoln,  3  vols.,  Carpenter's  Six  Months 
in  the  White  House,  Lodge's  Lincoln, 
2  vols.,  McClure's  Lincoln,  McClellan's 
Own  Story,  Roman's  Beauregard,  2  vols., 
Badeau's  U.  S.  Grant,  3  vols.,  Grant's 
Personal  Memoirs,  2  vols.,  Sherman's 
Memoirs,  2  vols.,  Sheridan's  Memoirs, 
2  vols.,  Farragut's  Life  of  Farragut, 
Schuckers'  Life  of  S.  P.  Chase,  Cooke's 
Robert  E.  Lee,  Cooke's  "  Stonewall " 
Jackson,  Johnston  and  Browne's  Life  of 
Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Sherman's  Let- 
ters ;  the  Lives  of  Generals  Scott,  Han- 
cock, Thomas,  J.  E.  Johnston,  Lee,  and 
Admirals  Farragut  and  Porter,  in  the 
Great  Commander  Series 

VII.   Reconstruction,  —  The  New 

Nation  (1865  to  the  Present 

Time)1 

Rhodes'  United  States  (1865-1877),  Vols. 
V-VII 

Hart's  American  Nation  (1865-1907),  Vols. 
XXI-XXVI 

§Hart's  American  History  told  by  Contem- 
poraries, Vol.  IV 

Garner  and  Lodge's  United  States,  Vol.  IV 

Scribner's  United  States,  Vol.  V 

Wilson's  Division  and  Reunion 

Brown's  The  United  States  since  the  Civil 
War,  2  vols. 


Burgess'  Reconstruction 

McPherson's  Political  History  of  Recon- 
struction 

Barnes'  History  of  the  39th  Congress 

Chadsey's  Struggle  between  President 
Johnson  and  Congress  (Columbia  Uni- 
versity Studies,  1896) 

Scott's  Reconstruction 

Bryce's  American  Commonwealth,  2  vols, 
(revised  edition) 

Life  and  Works  of  Henry  W.  Grady 

Blaine's  Twenty  Years  of  Congress,  2 
vols. 

Hoar's  Autobiography 

Johnston's  American  Politics 

Pike's  Prostrate  State  (South  Carolina) 

McPherson's  Political  Handbooks  (1870- 
1894) 

Appleton's  Annual  Cyclopaedia  (1876-1902) 

Bancroft's  Pacific  States,  34  vols. 

Thayer's  New  West 

McClure's  The  South 

Washington's  Up  from  Slavery 

Williams'  Negro  Race  in  America,  2  vols. 

Whitney's  United  States 

Shaler's  United  States,  2  vols. 

King's  The  New  South 

Curry's  The  South 

Badeau's  Grant  in  Peace 

Stoddard's  Life  of  Garfield 

Wilson's  Presidents  (1789-1893) 

Andrews'  The  United  States  in  Our  Time 

Whittle's  Life  of  Cleveland 

Morris'  War  with  Spain 

Harper's  War  with  Spain,  3  vols. 

McKinley's  Messages  to  Congress 

Roosevelt's  Messages  to  Congress 

Latane's  America  as  a  World  Power 

Coolidge's  United  States  as  a  World  Power 


*  Books  so  marked  are  in  progress.  §  Contemporaneous  or  Early  History. 

1  Many  valuable  articles  relating  to  this  period  may  be  found  in  The  Century,  The 
Atlantic,  Scribner's  Magazine,  McClure's  Magazine,  Harper's  Magazine,  The  Outlook, 
The  American  Review  of  Reviews,  The  World's  Work,  and  The  Nation.  For  a  general 
index  to  these  articles  consult  Poole's  Index. 


TABLE  OF  BOUNDARIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

(The  student  of  American  history  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  political  boundaries  of  the 

United  States  have  been  determined  to  a  very  large  degree  by  the  natural  bouttdaries 

of  (/)  coast  lines  ;  (2)  rivers  and  lakes  ;  (3)  watersheds  ;  (4)  mountain  ranges.) 

I.  (1783)  By  the  final  treaty  of  peace  of  1783  the  boundary  of  the  American 
Republic  (see  "Map  of  U.  S.  in  1783")  was  fixed,  in  general  terms,  as 
follows  :  The  line  separating  the  United  States  from  the  British  possessions 
began  at  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  ran  to  "  the  northwest  angle  of  Nova  Scotia," 
thence  "  to  the  Highlands,"  and  thence  "  along  the  said  Highlands  which 
divide  those  rivers  that  empty  themselves  into  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  from 
those  which  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean."  Thence  the  line  ran  westerly 
along  the  45th  parallel,  the  middle  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  middle  of 
the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  On  the  west  the  line  separat- 
ing the  United  States  from  the  Spanish  province  of  Louisiana  was  drawn 
from  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and 
thence  down  the  middle  of  that  river  to  the  31st  parallel,  or  the  frontier 
of  the  Spanish  province  of  West  Florida.  On  the  south  the  line  extended 
due  east  from  the  Mississippi  along  the  31st  parallel  to  the  Chattahoochee 
River  in  Georgia,  and  thence  to  the  sea,  as  shown  on  the  map.  (See  "  U.  S. 
Statutes  at  Large,"  VII,  80 ;  Macdonald's  "  Select  Documents  of  U.  S.  His- 
tory " ;  Winsor's  "  America,"  VII ;  Gannett's  "  Boundaries  of  the  U.  S." ; 
Hinsdale's  "  Bounding  the  Original  U.  S."  in  Mag.  of  Western  History,  II, 
401  ;  Hart's  "  Epoch  Maps  of  American  History.") 

Much  of  the  region  through  which  the  northern  boundary  ran  was  an 
unexplored  wilderness  and  the  line  was  largely  pure  guesswork.  This  was 
the  case  west  of  Lake  Superior,  and  notably  so  in  the  northeast,  between 
what  is  now  the  state  of  Maine  and  the  British  possessions.  The  result 
was  that  for  nearly  sixty  years  this  northeast  line  was  a  subject  of  angry 
dispute,  and  the  controversy  was  not  finally  settled  until  the  negotiation  of 
the  Webster- Ashburton  Treaty  of  1842.  (See  Winsor's  "America,"  VII, 
493;  and  Benton's  "Thirty  Years  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,"  II,  421.) 
II.  (1795)  Spain  refused  to  recognize  the  southern  boundary  of  the  United  States 
as  determined  by  the  treaty  of  peace  of  1783.  (See  above,  No.  I.)  She 
claimed  that  her  province  of  West  Florida  extended  no  miles  north  of  the 
31st  parallel,  and  that  the  true  boundary  line,  separating  her  possessions  in 
that  quarter  from  the  United  States,  extended  due  east  from  the  Mississippi 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  to  the  Chattahoochee  River  in  Georgia. 

In   1795    Spain  relinquished  her  claim  to  the  disputed  territory,   and, 
furthermore,  granted  to  the  United  States  the  free  navigation  of  the  lower 

xxxvii 


xxxviii    LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Mississippi,  besides  conceding  the  temporary  right  of  deposit  (or  storage 
for  merchandise)  at  the  port  of  New  Orleans.  (See  "  U.  S.  Statutes  at 
Large,"  VIII,  and  Winsor  and  Hinsdale,  as  above.) 

III.  (1803)    In  1803  the  United  States  purchased  the  province  of  Louisiana, 

which  Spain  had  re-ceded  to  France.  That  immense  territory  extended 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  northward  to  its  source,  and  had  the 
Rocky  Mountains  as  its  natural  boundary  on  the  west.  We  bought  the 
country  without  receiving  any  definite  limits,  and  hence  further  negotia- 
tions became  necessary  with  respect  to  boundary  lines.    (See  below.) 

IV.  (18 1 8)    In  consequence  of  the  above  purchase  of  Louisiana  a  treaty  made 

by  us  with  Great  Britain  in  1818  extended  the  northern  line  of  the  United 
States  from  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  (see  above,  No.  I)  westward  along 
the  49th  parallel  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  same  treaty  provided 
that  the  country  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  of  the  42d  parallel 
(or  the  recognized  Spanish  frontier),  and  known  as  the  Oregon  country, 
should  be  held  jointly  by  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain. 
V.  (1819-1825)  In  1819  Spain  sold  Florida  to  us,  and  in  the  treaty  defined  the 
unsettled  western  boundary  of  Louisiana  (see  above,  Nos.  Ill  and  IV) 
by  an  irregular  line  which  began  at  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  approximately 
followed  the  watershed  south  and  west  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi 
to  the  42d  parallel.  At  the  same  time  Spain  agreed  to  renounce  all  claims 
to  the  Oregon  country.  This  was  to  us  a  most  important  concession. 
Six  years  later  (1825)  a  treaty  made  with  Russia  fixed  the  northern  limit 
of  the  Oregon  country  (before  unsettled)  at  540  40',  or  what  is  now  the 
southern  boundary  of  Alaska. 

VI.  (1842)  In  1842  the  Webster- Ashburton  Treaty  (see  Index  under  "  Treaty  ") 
settled  the  long  dispute  over  the  northeastern  boundary  (see  above, 
No.  I)  and  reaffirmed  the  line  of  18 18  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  (See 
above,  No.  IV.) 
VII.  (1845)  In  J845  we  annexed  Texas;  the  boundary  question  was  settled  by 
the  Mexican  War. 
VIII.  (1846)  In  1846  a  treaty  made  by  us  with  Great  Britain  divided  the  Oregon 
country  between  the  two  nations  by  extending  the  boundary  line  of  the 
49th  parallel  (see  above,  No.  IV)  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the 
Pacific.    (See,  in  general,  the  "  Map  of  Acquisitions  of  Territory.") 

IX.  (1848-1867)    All  subsequent  United  States  boundary  lines  on  the  continent 
(see  map  cited  above)  were  determined  by  Mexican  cessions  in  1848,  the 
Gadsden  Purchase  in  1853,  and  the  Alaska  Purchase  in  1867. 
X.    (1898-1899)    The  islands  recently  acquired  by  the  United  States  present 
no  difficulties  respecting  boundaries. 


POPULATION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES         xxxix 


POPULATION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AT  EACH  CENSUS 


Year 

Population 

Population  Living 
in  Cities 

Inhabitants  of  Cities1 
in   each   ioo  of  the 
Total  Population 

1790 

3,929,214 

131,472 

3-35 

1800 

5,308,483 

210,873 

3-97 

l8lO 

7,239,881 

356,920 

4-93 

1820 

9,633,822 

475,135 

4-93 

1830 

12,866,020 

1,864,509 

6.72 

1840 

17,069,453 

1,453,994 

8.52 

1850 

23,191,876 

2,897,586 

12.49 

i860 

3i,443,32i 

5,072,256 

16.13 

1870 

38,558,371 

8,071,875 

20.93 

1880 

5o,i55,783 

14,772,438 

29.5 

1890 

62,622,250 

22,720,223 

36.  T 

I90O 

76,304,799 

30,797,185 

4O.5 

1910 

101,100,000 

42,623,383 

46.3  2 

1  Places  having  a  population  of  8000  and  over  have  usually  been  classed  as  cities,  but 
the  census  of  1900  and  that  of  1910  include  places  of  2500  inhabitants  and  upwards  as  cities. 

2  This  percentage  is  based  on  the  continental  population  of  the  United  States,  namely, 
91,972,266. 

POPULATION  OF  THE  FREE  AND  THE  SLAVE  STATES, 
1790-1860 


Year 

Free  States 

Slave  States 
(including  Negroes) 

179O 

1,968,455 

1,961,372 

1800 

2,684,616 

2,621,316 

l8lO 

3,758,910 

3,480,902 

I820 

5,152,372 

4,485,819 

1830 

7,006,399 

5,848,312 

1840 

9,733,922 

7,334,433 

1850 

13,599,488 

9,663,997 

i860 

19,128,418 

12,315,372 

xl  LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN   HISTORY 

REPRESENTATION  IN  CONGRESS  FROM  1790  TO  1913 


Senate 

House  of  Representatives 

Ratio  of 

Free  States 

Slave  States 

Free  States 

Slave  States 

Represen- 
tation x 

1790 

14 

12 

35 

30 

'  30,000 

1793 

16 

14 

57 

48 

33,000 

1796 

16 

l6 

57 

49 

33,000 

1803 

18 

16 

76 

65 

33,000 

1813 

18 

18 

103 

78 

35,000 

1816 

20 

18 

103 

78 

35,000 

1821 

24 

24 

105 

Si 

35,000 

1823 

24 

24 

123 

90 

40,000 

1833 

24 

24 

141 

99 

47,700 

1837 

26 

26 

142 

100 

47700 

1843 

26 

26 

135 

88 

70,680 

1848 

30 

3° 

140 

91 

70,680 

1853 

32 

30 

144 

90 

93423 

i860 

36 

30 

147 

90 

93423 

1863 

75 

243 

127,381 

1873 

7< 

293 

131,425 

1883 

7( 

325 

151,911 

1893 

8? 

356 

173,901 

1903 

9c 

386 

193.175 

T9!3 

96 

435 

212,407 

1  The  number  of  representatives  is  fixed  by  Congress  every  ten  years  (Constitution, 
Art.  I,  sect.  2).  It  was  fixed  for  1913  at  one  representative  for  every  212,407  persons.  To 
find  the  electoral  vote,  add  together  the  number  of  senators  and  representatives ;  e.g.  the 
electoral  vote  in  1790  was  91. 


QUESTIONS 

[It  is  believed  that  in  many  cases  the  headings  to  the  sections  throughout  the  book  {e.g.  §§  1-5,  etc.) 
•will  answer  the  purpose  of  questions,  but  where  greater  detail  is  desired  the  questions  here  given  are 
intended  to  supply  the  want.] 

I.  The  Discovery  and  Naming  of  America  (1492-1522) 

Pages  1-4.  When  and  where  was  Columbus  born?  What  was  then  thought  about  the 
earth  ?  What  countries  were  then  shown  on  the  maps  ?  What  was  the  Atlantic  called  ?  Why  ? 
What  countries  were  known  as  the  Indies  ?  Who  were  the  Northmen  ?  What  did  they  dis- 
cover in  the  year  850?  What  land  did  Leif  Ericson  discover  about  the  year  1000?  Is  it 
known  where  Vineland  was  ?  Did  the  discovery  of  America  by  Leif  Ericson  have  any  prac- 
tical result  ?  Why  not  ?  Is  it  probable  that  Columbus  ever  learned  anything  about  America 
from  the  Northmen  ?  What  land  did  Columbus  wish  to  reach  ?  What  can  you  say  about 
Marco  Polo  ?  What  was  the  first  reason  Columbus  had  for  desiring  to  go  to  the  Indies  ? 
What  was  his  second  reason  ?  How  was  trade  with  the  Indies  then  carried  on?  How  was 
that  trade  broken  up  ? 

Pages  4-10.  What  did  the  Portuguese  attempt  to  do  ?  What  did  Diaz  accomplish  ?  What 
plan  had  Columbus  for  reaching  the  Indies  ?  What  were  his  four  reasons  for  his  under- 
taking ?  Did  he  make  any  mistakes  in  his  geography  ?  Was  it  fortunate  that  he  made  these 
mistakes  ?  Why  ?  From  whom  did  Columbus  seek  help  ?  What  did  people  generally  think 
of  him  ?  What  help  did  he  finally  receive  ?  When  did  he  sail  ?  From  what  port  ?  How  many 
vessels  did  he  have  ?  What  route  did  he  take  ?  Where  did  he  stop  on  the  way  ?  How  did  the 
sailors  feel  about  leaving  the  Canaries  ?  How  was  Columbus  equipped  for  the  great  voyage  ? 
What  did  he  believe  about  it  ?  What  is  said  of  the  voyage  ?  variation  of  the  compass  ? 
feeling  of  the  crew?   When  and  why  did  Columbus  change  his  course? 

Pages  10-15.  When  and  where  did  Columbus  land  ?  What  land  did  he  believe  it  was  ? 
What  did  he  call  the  natives  ?  Why  ?  Did  Columbus  ever  find  out  his  mistake  about  Amer- 
ica ?  Did  he  ever  see  any  part  of  the  mainland  of  what  is  now  the  United  States  ?  When 
Columbus  returned  to  Spain,  how  was  he  received  ?  Of  what  countries  did  he  speak  in  his 
letter  to  the  King  and  Queen  ?  How  did  the  Pope  divide  the  world  ?  Why  did  he  divide  it  ? 
Was  Spain  satisfied  with  the  discoveries  of  Columbus?  Why  not?  What  nickname  did  the 
rabble  give  him  ?  What  did  they  say  about  him  ?  What  did  the  governor  of  Haiti  do  to 
Columbus  in  1500?  How  many  voyages  did  Columbus  make  to  America?  (See  note  2,  page  10.) 
Where  and  how  did  he  die  ?  Where  was  he  buried  ?  (See  note  1,  page  14.)  Where  are  his  re- 
mains now?  (See  note  1,  page  14.)    Did  Columbus  fail  in  anything  ?   What  did  he  accomplish  ? 

Pages  *i 5-16.  Who  discovered  the  continent  of  North  America?  Where?  When?  Did 
England  gain  anything  by  that  discovery  ?    What  did  Burke  say  about  it  ? 

Pages  16-18.  Who  was  Amerigo  Vespucci  and  what  did  he  do?  What  did  he  write? 
How  did  America  get  its  name?  What  year  was  that?  When  did  the  name  America  first 
appear  on  a  map  ?    (See  note  1,  page  19.) 

Pages  18-19.  What  did  people  mean  when  they  spoke  of  the  n  New  World  "  ?  What  did 
most  people  think  it  was  ?  Who  first  discovered  America  to  be  a  new  and  distinct  continent, 
—  a  real  New  World?  How  and  when  did  he  make  that  discovery  ?  What  motto  was  on  the 
coat  of  arms  given  to  Magellan  ?  Was  Europe  pleased  with  that  discovery  ?  What  was 
Europe  still  bent  on  doing  ?  What  did  most  explorers  continue  to  do  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  ?   What  voyages  are  mentioned  in  the  Summary  on  page  19  ? 

II.  Attempts  at  Exploring  and  Colonizing  America  (1509-1600) 

Pages  20-21.  Who  was  Ponce  de  Leon  ?  What  did  he  discover  ?  What  name  did  he  give 
the  country  ?    Why  did  he  so  name  it  ? 

Pages  21-22.  What  great  body  of  water  did  Balboa  discover  in  15 13  ?  What  did  he  call  it  ? 
What  did  Magellan  name  it  afterward?  What  country  did  Cortez  conquer?  What  did  he 
want  the  King  of  Spain  to  do  about  the  Isthmus  of  Panama?  What  did  the  King  of  France 
do  about  America  ?   What  great  river  did  Cartier  discover  ? 

xli 


xlii  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Pages  23-25.  Give  an  account  of  De  Soto's  exploring  expedition.  What  great  river  did 
he  discover  in  1541?  Where  was  he  buried?  Give  an  account  of  Coronado's  expedition. 
What  canyon  did  he  discover?  How  far  east  did  he  get?  What  animals  did  he  see  and 
hunt? 

Pages  25-27.  Who  were  the  Huguenots  ?  Where  did  they  attempt  to  plant  colonies  ? 
What  did  the  King  of  Spain  resolve  to  do  ?  What  did  Menendez  do  in  Florida  ?  What  city 
did  he  begin  to  build  in  1565  ?   Who  was  De  Gourgues  ?   What  did  he  do  in  Florida? 

Pages  27-28.  What  is  said  about  the  English  exploration  of  America?  What  did  Sir 
Martin  Frobisher  try  to  do?  What  country  did  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  take  possession  of? 
Who  was  Sir  Francis  Drake?  What  great  voyage  did  he  make  in  1577-1580?  Where  did 
he  land  in  America?  What  did  he  hope  to  discover?  How  far  north  did  he  go?  What 
country  did  he  take  possession  of  for  England  ? 

Pages  28-30.  What  did  Queen  Elizabeth  do  for  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  ?  What  did  Raleigh 
think  about  America  ?  What  expedition  did  he  send  out  to  America  ?  What  island  did  the 
explorers  reach  ?  What  name  did  Queen  Elizabeth  give  to  the  "  Good  Land  "  ?  What  did 
Raleigh  do  the  next  year  ?  How  long  did  the  emigrants  stay  in  Virginia  ?  What  "  root "  did 
they  carry  back  to  England?  What  weed  did  they  carry  back?  What  did  Queen  Elizabeth 
say  about  it  ?  Give  an  account  of  Raleigh's  second  colony.  Was  the  colony  a  success  ? 
What  did  Raleigh  say  ?    How  is  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  regarded  ? 

Pages  30-32.  What  white  settlers  were  there  in  America  in  1600?  In  1600  what  flag 
seemed  destined  to  wave  over  the  whole  American  continent  ?  What  did  the  explorers  of 
America  find  it  to  be  ?  In  what  two  ways  is  America  superior  to  Europe  ?  What  is  said 
about  the  natural  wealth  of  our  country  ?  What  did  Gladstone  say  about  America  ?  (See 
also  pages  42-43  on  the  physical  geography  of  America  in  relation  to  history.)  What  did 
America  offer  to  those  who  were  disappointed  with  the  Old  World  ? 

The  American  Indians 

Pages  32-38.  What  is  said  about  the  number  of  Indians  east  of  the  Mississippi?  Did 
they  have  any  roads?  any  farms?  any  cities  or  towns?  How  did  America  seem  to  them? 
What  is  said  of  the  Algonquins  and  the  Iroquois  ?  Describe  the  appearance  of  the  Indians. 
What  was  the  "  scalp  lock"  ?  How  did  the  Indians  live  ?  What  did  the  men  do  ?  What  did 
the  women  do  ?  What  three  things  did  the  Indians  invent  ?  What  is  said  of  Indian  govern- 
ment ?  What  was  a  "  wampum  "  belt  made  of  ?  What  was  it  sometimes  used  for  ?  What  did 
the  treaty  belt  given  to  William  Penn  represent  ?  When  the  Indians  held  a  council,  why  was 
a  "  wampum  "  belt  made  ?  The  beads  of  "  wampum  "  strings  had  another  use  ;  what  was  it  ? 
Did  the  Indian  have  as  much  liberty  as  the  white  man  ?  Mention  some  things  the  Indian 
could  not  do.  What  was  a  "  totem  "  ?  Mention  some  of  its  uses.  What  was  the  Indian's 
religious  belief?  What  did  the  Indian  think  about  stealing  and  lying?  What  would  Indian 
boys  do  to  show  that  they  despised  pain  ?  Why  did  the  Indians  torture  captives  ?  What  did 
they  always  respect  ?  Tell  the  story  of  General  Stark's  running  the  gantlet.  What  can  you 
say  about  the  Indian  and  the  white  man?  What  was  the  Indian's  school?  What  did  the 
Indian  teach  the  white  man  ?  Mention  an  instance  in  which  the  Indians  and  the  white 
men  agreed  to  help  each  other  fight.  What  good  effect  did  wars  with  the  Indians  have  on 
the  English  colonists  ? 

Effects  of  the  Discovery  of  America  on  Europe 

Pages  38-40.  What  effect  did  the  discovery  of  America  have  on  geographical  knowledge  ? 
What  change  had  to  be  made  in  the  map  of  the  world  ?  What  effect  did  the  discovery  of 
America  have  on  European  enterprise  ?  on  gold  and  silver  ?  on  trade  and  navigation  ? 
What  new  products  were  obtained  from  America?  What  luxuries?  What  effect  did  the 
discovery  of  America  have  on  sugar,  cotton,  rice,  and  coffee  ?  What  effect  did  it  have  on 
men's  minds  ?  What  did  it  make  everybody  feel  about  America  ?  What  effect  did  that  feeling 
have  ?  What  is  said  in  the  Summary  about  the  three  classes  of  discoveries  and  explorations 
of  this  period  ?  What  white  men  held  America  in  1600  ? 

On  the  physical  geography  of  the  United  States  in  its  relation  to  history,  see  pages 
42-43- 


QUESTIONS  xliii 

III.  Permanent  English  and  French  Settlements  made  in  America  (1607) 
1.  Virginia,  1607 

Pages  41-48.  Why  did  many  English  wish  to  go  to  Virginia?  How  large  was  Virginia? 
What  power  did  the  charter  granted  by  the  King  give  to  the  London  Company  ?  What  to 
the  Plymouth  Company?  What  was  a  charter?  (See  note  2,  page  20.)  What  did  the  com- 
panies hope  to  find  ?  How  were  the  colonies  to  be  governed  ?  What  was  the  most  important 
article  in  the  Virginia  charter  ?  What  four  instructions  did  the  King  give  ?  When  the 
London  Company's  emigrants  sailed,  who  went  with  them  ?  Where  did  the  colonists  settle  in 
1607  ?  What  did  they  name  the  place?  Could  they  vote  or  make  laws  in  their  new  home? 
Did  they  come  into  possession  of  any  land  ?  Did  they  own  what  they  produced  ?  How  did 
they  live  ?  What  happened  to  many  of  them  that  summer  ?  What  ocean  did  they  set  out  to 
find  ?  What  happened  to  Captain  Smith  ?  What  is  said  about  Pocahontas  ?  What  kind  of 
"  gold  "  did  they  find  ?  What  is  said  about  Champlain  ?  Why  did  Captain  Smith  go  back  to 
England?  What  happened  after  he  left  ?  What  did  the  colonists  resolve  to  do  ?  Did  they  go  ? 
Why  not?  How  did  Governor  Dale  preserve  order?  What  did  he  do  if  a  man  refused  to  go 
to  church  ?   What  did  Governor  Dale  give  to  every  settler?   What  effect  did  that  gift  have  ? 

Pages  48-52.  What  is  said  about  raising  tobacco  ?  What  four  effects  did  the  cultivation  of 
tobacco  have  ?  Did  the  Virginia  colonists  have  many  towns  or  schools  or  printing  presses  ? 
What  great  event  occurred  in  16 19  ?  What  did  the  choosing  of  this  Assembly  give  to  every 
colonist  ?   Wrhat  is  said  about  women's  coming  to  Virginia  ? 

Pages  52-58.  When  did  negro  slavery  begin  in  Virginia?  How  did  people  then  feel  about 
slavery  ?  What  is  said  about  white  *  apprentices  "  ?  What  class  of  people  did  the  King  and 
the  English  judges  send  to  Virginia?  What  did  the  King  do  about  the  charter?  What  is 
said  of  Sir  William  Berkeley  ?  What  is  said  of  the  Puritans  and  of  the  Cavaliers  ?  What 
about  the  civil  war  in  England  ?  To  what  country  did  many  Cavaliers  emigrate  ?  Why  ? 
Why  did  Governor  Berkeley  retire  from  office?  Mention  two  eminent  Virginians  who  de- 
scended from  Cavalier  emigrants.  When  Governor  Berkeley  became  governor  again,  what 
did  he  do  ?  Why  did  England  pass  Navigation  Laws  ?  What  effect  did  these  laws  have  in 
America?  What  action  did  King  Charles  II  take  about  Virginia?  When  the  Indians  began 
killing  the  colonists,  what  did  Nathaniel  Bacon  do  ?  What  about  the  "  White  Apron  Brigade  "  ? 
What  did  Bacon  do  to  Jamestown  ?  How  did  Governor  Berkeley  punish  some  of  the  "  rebels  "  ? 
What  happened  at  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  just  a  century  after  the  M  Bacon  Laws  "  were  passed  ? 

2.  New  Netherland,  or  New  York 

Pages  58-64.  Describe  Henry  Hudson's  expedition.  Who  took  possession  of  the  country 
on  the  Hudson  River?  What  did  they  name  it?  Why  were  the  English  and  the  French 
jealous  of  New  Netherland  ?  What  island  did  Peter  Minuit  buy  from  the  Indians  in  1626  ? 
What  did  he  pay  for  it  ?  What  is  that  land  worth  to-day  ?  What  did  the  Dutch  call  their 
settlement  on  that  island  ?  Who  were  the  Patroons  ?  What  is  said  of  the  estate  of  a  patroon 
named  Van  Rensselaer?  What  can  you  say  about  Peter  Stuyvesant?  How  did  he  defend 
the  w  city  "  of  New  Amsterdam  ?  What  did  that  palisade  mark  ?  What  did  the  Dutch  predict 
about  that  "  city  "  ?  Why  did  the  English  claim  New  Netherland  ?  What  happened  in  1664  ? 
What  names  were  changed  ?   Why  ? 

3.  New  Jersey 

Pages  64-66.  Who  first  claimed  the  country  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware  ? 
What  did  the  English  declare  ?  What  did  the  Duke  of  York  do  with  the  country  ?  How  did 
it  get  the  name  of  New  Jersey  ?  Who  finally  bought  New  Jersey  ?  With  what  people  did  the 
Friends,  or  Quakers,  make  a  treaty  ?  When  the  Indians  found  an  Englishman  asleep,  what 
would  they  say?  What  kind  of  government  did  the  Friends  grant  to  the  colonists?  How 
was  New  Jersey  ruled  from  1738  to  the  Revolution? 

4.  Massachusetts  (Plymouth  Colony) 

Pages  66-71.  What  is  said  about  the  lack  of  religious  liberty  in  England  in  1607  ?  What 
three  classes  of  Englishmen  objected  to  paying  taxes  to  support  the  Church  of  England  ? 
Why  did  the  Separatists,  or  Pilgrims,  go  to  Holland  ?  Why  did  they  resolve  to  leave  Holland 
and  go  to  America  ?   To  what  part  of  America  did  they  wish  to  go  ?   Who  helped  them  to 


xliv  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

go,  and  on  what  hard  conditions  ?  In  what  vessel  did  they  sail  from  England  ?  What  is  said 
of  Captain  Myles  Standish  ?  Why  did  they  stop  at  Cape  Cod  ?  What  compact  or  agree- 
ment did  they  make  in  Provincetown  harbor  ?  Whom  did  they  elect  for  their  first  governor  ? 
Where  did  the  Pilgrims  finally  land  on  December2i,  1620?  What  is  said  of  their  first  winter 
at  Plymouth?  What  governor  succeeded  Governor  Carver?  How  did  the  Pilgrims  decide 
all  important  questions  and  make  their  laws?  With  what  chief  did  they  make  a  treaty? 
What  is  said  about  Canonicus  and  Governor  Bradford?  What  is  said  of  Myles  Standish 
and  the  Indians?  How  did  the  Pilgrims  free  themselves  from  the  English  merchants  or 
speculators  ?  What  did  the  Pilgrims  do  for  a  living  ?  To  what  larger  colony  was  Plymouth 
finally  joined  ?   What  was  it  that  made  the  Pilgrims  great  ?   What  is  better  than  success  ? 

4.  Massachusetts  (Massachusetts  Bay  Colony) 

Pages  72-73.  What  is  said  of  Governor  Endicott?  Why  did  he  cut  the  cross  out  of  the 
English  flag?  When  did  the  great  Puritan  emigration  take  place?  Who  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  colony  ?  What  did  the  colonists  name  the  place  where  they  settled  in  1630  ? 
Why?  What  is  said  of  the  colonists  who  came  over?  How  was  Massachusetts  governed? 
What  did  the  people  do  in  town  meeting  ?  What  did  Thomas  Jefferson  say  about  the  New 
England  town  meetings  ?  Who  could  vote  in  Massachusetts  ?  How  did  the  people  live  ? 
What  commerce  was  carried  on  with  the  West  Indies? 

Pages  74-76.  Who  was  Roger  Williams?  Why  did  he  leave  Massachusetts?  With  what 
chief  did  he  take  refuge  ?  What  city  did  he  begin  to  build  in  the  following  spring  ?  What 
is  said  about  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson  ?  What  about  the  Baptists  ?  What  did  the  colonists  do 
in  regard  to  schools?  How  did  Harvard  University  originate?  What  work  did  the  Rev. 
John  Eliot  undertake?  What  was  the  New  England  Confederation?  What  were  its  two 
chief  objects  ?    How  did  the  remembrance  of  the  Confederation  help  the  colonists  ? 

Pages  77-81.  Describe  the  coming  of  the  Friends,  or  Quakers.  What  did  the  Quakers 
believe  ?  What  did  they  refuse  to  do  ?  What  effect  did  the  treatment  the  Quakers  had  re- 
ceived in  England  have  on  them  ?  What  did  the  Puritans  of  Massachusetts  do  to  the  Quak- 
ers? Give  an  account  of  King  Philip's  War.  What  is  said  about  the  Salem  witchcraft? 
Why  did  King  Charles  II  take  away  the  charter  of  Massachusetts  ?  Who  was  the  first  royal 
governor  of  the  colony?  What  did  the  people  do  to  him?  What  is  said  about  the  new 
charter  which  the  colony  received  from  King  William  III  ? 

5.  New  Hampshire 

Pages  81-83.  What  was  the  territory  called  which  was  granted  to  Gorges  and  Mason? 
Where  was  the  first  permanent  settlement  made  in  it?  How  did  Gorges  and  Mason  divide 
the  territory  ?  What  name  did  Mason  give  to  his  part  ?  What  was  the  region  west  of  the 
Connecticut  called  ?  What  settlements  were  made  in  Maine  ?  What  colony  and  state  held 
control  of  Maine  from  1652  to  1820  ?  What  is  said  about  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire  ? 
What  very  noted  man  was  born  in  a  New  Hampshire  log  cabin  ?  Why  did  New  Hampshire 
join  Massachusetts  ?   What  kind  of  province  did  it  finally  become  ? 

6.  Connecticut 

Pages  84-88.  What  people  first  tried  to  get  possession  of  the  Connecticut  valley?  What 
two  towns  were  built  by  emigrants  from  the  vicinity  of  Boston  ?  Who  built  a  fort  at  Say- 
brook,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  ?  What  effect  did  it  have  ?  Describe  the  emigration  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  to  Hartford.  What  is  said  about 
the  war  with  the  Pequots  ?  Give  an  account  of  the  Connecticut  constitution.  What  was  there 
remarkable  about  it  ?  Did  it  impose  any  restriction  on  voting  ?  Of  what  was  it  the  parent  ? 
Give  some  account  of  the  colony  of  New  Haven.  What  kind  of  government  did  it  establish  ? 
Who  were  the  "  regicides  "  ?  What  is  said  about  Whalley  and  Goffe  ?  What  did  Charles  IPs 
charter  do  for  Connecticut  ?  Describe  how  Governor  Andros  tried  to  take  away  that  famous 
charter. 

7.  Maryland 

Pages  89-93.  Who  were  the  Catholic  Pilgrims,  and  why  did  they  come  to  America?  To 
whom  did  the  King  make  a  grant  of  land  ?  What  name  did  it  receive  ?  Where  in  Maryland 
did  the  Catholic  Pilgrims  settle  ?   What  is  said  about  the  first  English  Catholic  Church  in 


QUESTIONS  xlv 

America  ?  What  did  Lord  Baltimore  do  for  the  colonists  ?  What  is  said  about  their  freedom 
of  worship?  What  about  the  Toleration  Act  of  1649?  What  people  sought  refuge  in  Mary- 
land ?  What  is  said  about  the  Clayborne  and  Ingle  rebellion  ?  What  was  done  later  about 
the  Toleration  Act  ?  What  did  the  Assembly  declare  concerning  Lord  Baltimore  ?  Were 
those  rights  restored  ?  Was  freedom  of  worship  restored  ?  What  happened  when  William 
and  Mary  came  to  the  throne  ?  What  city  was  founded  in  1729  ?  What  is  said  about  Mason 
and  Dixon's  Line  ?   Why  did  it  become  famous  ? 

8.  Rhode  Island 

Pages  93-96.  Where  did  Roger  Williams  go  when  he  fled  from  Massachusetts  ?  Where  did 
he  and  his  companions  finally  build  homes  for  themselves  ?  What  name  did  he  give  to  the 
place?  What  church  did  he,  with  others,  found  there?  How  does  Providence  rank  to-day? 
What  liberty  did  the  colony  of  Providence  grant  to  every  one  ?  What  great  American  prin- 
ciple did  he  first  put  in  practice  ?  What  does  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  say  about 
religion  ?  What  is  said  of  the  charter  which  Williams  obtained  in  England  ?  Did  Rhode 
Island  remain  true  to  the  principle  of  "  soul  liberty  "  ?  Was  there  any  restriction  put  on  the 
power  to  vote  ?  Did  the  colony  ever  restrict  full  freedom  of  worship  to  any  one  ?  How 
about  fighting  for  independence  ? 

9.  New  Sweden,  or  Delaware 

Pages  96-97.  Where  did  the  Swedes  begin  a  New  Sweden  ?  Wrhat  did  the  Dutch  claim  ? 
What  did  Governor  Stuyvesant  of  New  Amsterdam  do  ?  What  did  the  English  Duke  of  York 
do  about  ten  years  later  ?  To  whom  did  he  sell  the  country  ?  What  name  did  William  Penn 
give  to  it  ?  What  action  did  M  The  Territories,"  or  Delaware,  take  in  1776  ?  What  did  Delaware 
do  in  1787  ?   What  state  first  entered  the  American  Union  ? 

10-11.  North  and  South  Carolina 

Pages  97-101.  What  grant  did  Charles  II  make  to  Lord  Clarendon  and  his  associates? 
What  name  was  given  to  the  territory?  How  large  was  the  territory?  What  were  the  first 
settlements  made  in  it?  What  city  was  founded  in  1680  ?  Who  were  the  Huguenots  ?  Why 
did  they  go  to  Carolina  ?  What  is  said  about  them  ?  Name  two  distinguished  men  who  de- 
scended from  the  Huguenots.  What  was  the  "  Grand  Model  "  ?  What  did  this  constitution 
establish  ?  What  was  the  condition  of  the  common  people  under  this  constitution  ?  What 
did  the  people  resolve  to  do?  Did  they  succeed?  How  was  the  colony  of  Carolina  divided 
in  1712?  How  were  North  and  South  Carolina  governed?  What  did  North  Carolina  pro- 
duce ?  What  is  said  about  the  introduction  of  rice  into  South  Carolina  ?  Who  first  began  to 
raise  indigo  in  South  Carolina  ?  What  was  the  result  ?  After  the  Revolution  what  did  the 
people  find  was  more  profitable  ?    What  did  Josiah  Quincy  say  about  Charleston  in  1773  ? 

12.  Pennsylvania 

Pages  101-105.  Charles  II  owed  William  Penn  a  large  sum  of  money  ;  how  did  he  pay  the 
debt  ?  What  name  did  the  King  give  to  the  territory  ?  What  people  desired  to  emigrate  to 
Pennsylvania  ?  What  was  the  basis  on  which  Penn  resolved  to  establish  a  "  free  colony  "  ? 
What  did  the  King  think  about  Penn's  plan  ?  Did  Penn  agree  with  him  ?  Where  did  Penn 
and  his  Quakers  land  ?  Describe  the  ceremony  of  his  taking  possession  of  his  vast  estate. 
What  city  did  he  found  in  1682?  What  Bible  name  did  he  give  to  it?  What  is  said  about 
Philadelphia?  What  did  Penn  and  the  people  enact  at  Chester?  What  twofold  foundation 
did  that  "  Great  Law  "  have  ?  What  did  Penn  say  about  libert"  ?  What  did  he  say  about  obe- 
dience ?  What  did  the  "  Great  Law  "  say  about  the  worship  of  God  ?  W7hat  about  the  right 
to  vote  ?  What  about  children  learning  a  trade  or  occupation  ?  What  about  the  death  pen- 
alty? What  about  prisons?  Give  an  account  of  Penn's  treaty  with  the  Indians.  Was  that 
treaty  ever  broken  ?  What  is  said  about  the  wampum  belt?  What  is  said  about  Philadelphia 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  ?  What  body  of  men  met  there  in  1774  ?  What  was  de- 
clared there  in  1776  ?  What  was  framed  there  in  1787  ?  Where  was  the  capital  of  the  United 
States  from  1790-1800? 


xlvi         LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

13.  Georgia 

Pages  106-108.  What  did  General  James  Oglethorpe,  with  others,  obtain  from  the  King? 
What  was  the  new  colony  called?  Why?  How  far  did  the  territory  extend?  What  three 
things  did  the  founders  of  Georgia  wish  to  do  ?  What  town  did  the  first  emigrants  build  ? 
What  did  they  hope  to  produce?  In  the  end  what  was  found  more  profitable?  What  did 
the  founders  of  Georgia  forbid  the  people  to  buy  ?  What  effect  did  the  prohibition  have  ? 
Why  were  the  colonists  discontented?  What  kind  of  government  did  the  founders  of 
Georgia  establish  ?  In  what  condition  did  this  keep  the  great  body  of  the  people  ?  What  is 
said  about  liberty  of  worship  ?  What  about  the  ownership  of  land  ?  What  is  said  of  John  and 
Charles  Wesley?  What  of  the  Rev.  George  Whitefield?  How  did  John  Wesley  feel  about 
negro  slavery?  How  did  Whitefield  feel  about  it?  What  was  finally  done  about  the  pur- 
chase of  slaves,  the  importation  of  rum,  and  the  land  laws  ?  What  was  the  result  ?  W7hat  did 
the  colony  do  with  regard  to  attacks  by  the  Spaniards?  What  did  Georgia  become  in  1752  ? 
What  is  said  about  the  natural  wealth  of  Georgia  ? 

The  French  Exploration  of  the  West 

Pages  109-114.  Who  were  the  first  explorers  of  the  West  ?  Where  did  the  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries plant  missions  among  the  Indians  ?  Who  was  Joliet  ?  Who  was  Father  Marquette  ? 
Describe  their  journey  to  the  Mississippi.  How  far  did  they  descend  on  that  river?  De- 
scribe their  coming  back.  Who  was  La  Salle  ?  Describe  his  great  journey.  What  did  he  do 
when  he  reached  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  in  1682  ?  What  name  did  he  give  to  the  vast  territory  ? 
What  did  John  Law  try  to  do  in  Louisiana  ?  What  colony  did  Iberville  establish  ?  What  city 
did  Bienville  found  in  1718?  What  part  of  America  did  the  English  hold?  What  did  the 
French  hold  ?   Where  did  La  Salle  build  forts  ?   Why  ? 

The  French  and  Indian  Wars  (1689-1763) 

Pages  114-117.  Why  did  war  break  out  in  1689  between  the  English  and  the  French 
colonists?  How  long  did  the  war  really  last?  In  the  first  or  "King  William's  War"  what 
village  did  the  French  and  Canadian  Indians  destroy  ?  What  happened  to  the  Indians  who 
carried  off  Mrs.  Dustin  of  Haverhill  ?  What  fort  did  Sir  William  Phips  capture  ?  In  the 
second  or  "Queen  Anne's  War"  what  town  did  the  French  and  Indians  burn?  What 
country  did  the  New  Englanders  conquer?  In  the  third  or  "  King  George's  War"  what 
remarkable  victory  did  the  New  Englanders  gain  ?  Describe  how  they  gained  it.  What  two 
results  did  the  taking  of  Louisburg  have  ?  What  was  the  fourth  or  "  French  and  Indian 
War  "  fought  to  decide  ?   What  forts  had  the  French  built  ? 

Pages  117-120.  Why  did  Virginian  colonists  form  the  Ohio  Company?  What  new  forts 
did  the  French  begin  to  build?  Why?  Where  was  the  "Gateway  of  the  West"?  WThat 
young  man  did  the  Governor  of  Virginia  send  as  a  messenger  to  the  French  ?  Why  ?  What 
results  did  that  expedition  have  ?  Who  built  Fort  Duquesne  ?  Where  ?  What  fort  did 
Washington  begin  to  build?  Did  he  hold  it?  Describe  the  Albany  Convention  of  1754. 
What  was  Franklin's  snake?  Why  was  not  his  plan  of  union  adopted?  Why  were  the 
authorities  in  England  opposed  to  any  union  of  the  American  colonies  ? 

Pages  120-124.  Give  an  account  of  Braddock's  expedition  against  Fort  Duquesne.  What 
was  said  in  Virginia  about  the  defeat  ?  What  did  a  clergyman  say  about  Washington  ?  Why 
did  the  English  drive  the  Acadians  into  exile  ?  What  is  said  of  William  Pitt  ?  What  is  said 
about  Fort  Duquesne  ?  What  is  it  called  to-day  ?  Describe  the  great  victory  which  General 
Wolfe  gained  in  1759.  What  did  Wolfe  say  when  he  was  dying?  What  did  Montcalm  say? 
What  did  Pontiac,  the  Indian  chief,  undertake  to  do  ?  What  result  did  Wolfe's  great  victory 
have  on  France?  What  did  the  treaty  of  peace  of  1762  give  to  England?  Over  how  much 
of  America  did  the  English  flag  float  in  1763?  Why  was  England  willing  that  Spain  should 
hold  the  great  province  of  Louisiana  ?  What  river  now  became  the  western  boundary  of  the 
American  colonies  ?  What  four  results  did  the  four  English  and  French  wars  have  on  the 
American  colonies  ? 

General  State  of  the  Country  in  1763 

Pages  124-129.  How  large  was  the  population  of  the  American  colonies  in  1763?  What 
proportion  was  slaves?  How  were  these  slaves  distributed?  Of  what  race  was  the  majority 
of  the  colonists  ?   What  were  the  four  chief  cities  ?   What  is  said  about  foreign  trade  ?   How 


QUESTIONS  xlvii 

did  England  feel  about  American  manufactures?  What  is  said  of  the  Navigation  Laws? 
What  bounties  did  England  pay  ?  What  did  England  buy  from  the  colonists  ?  What  is  said 
about  smuggling  ?  How  were  the  colonies  governed  ?  What  is  said  of  the  colonial  legislative 
assemblies  ?  What  about  trial  by  jury  and  protection  by  the  common  law  ?  What  motto 
was  on  a  flag  adopted  in  1775  ?  Give  some  account  of  life  among  the  farmers.  Give  some 
account  of  life  in  the  cities. 

Pages  129-132.  What  is  said  about  travel  —  the  "Flying  Machine"?  What  about  post- 
age ?  What  about  the  hospitality  of  rich  planters  to  travelers  ?  What  about  the  stocks,  the 
pillory,  and  other  punishments  ?  What  is  said  about  education  ?  What  is  said  about  the  Rev. 
Jonathan  Edwards?  What  was  Benjamin  Franklin's  best  known  work?  Can  you  repeat 
any  of  "  Poor  Richard's  "  sayings  ?  Describe  Franklin's  electrical  experiments.  What  did 
Franklin  say  about  electricity  ?   Was  he  right  or  wrong  ? 

IV.  The  Revolution ;  the  Constitution  (1763-1789) 

Pages  134-141.  What  is  said  about  American  commerce  in  1763  ?  What  did  King  George  III 
resolve  to  do  ?  What  is  said  about  the  King  ?  How  did  he  interfere  with  American  com- 
merce ?  What  were  ™  Writs  of  Assistance  "  ?  How  were  they  used  in  Boston  ?  Why  did  the 
King  propose  to  tax  the  colonists  ?  Why  did  they  object  ?  Give  some  account  of  the  Stamp  Act 
of  1765.  What  did  the  w  Stamp  Act  Congress  "  declare  ?  When  was  the  Stamp  Act  repealed  ? 
What  was  the  Declaratory  Act  ?  What  was  the  "  Boston  Massacre  "  ?  Give  an  account  of  the 
Townshend  Acts  of  1767.  What  did  Samuel  Adams,  with  others,  resolve  to  do  ?  What  change 
in  the  Townshend  taxes  did  Parliament  make  ?  Give  an  account  of  what  the  colonists  did 
with  the  taxed  tea.  Describe  the  "  Boston  Tea  Party."  What  action  did  Parliament  take 
with  regard  to  Massachusetts  ?  What  did  Patrick  Henry  say  about  it  ?  What  did  the  "  Com- 
mittees of  Correspondence  "  do  ?  When  and  where  did  the  First  Continental  Congress  meet  ? 
Did  they  ask  for  representation  in  Parliament  ?  Why  not  ?  What  three  things  did  they  do  ? 
What  action  did  Massachusetts  take  ?  What  did  a  South  Carolina  paper  say  about  the  spirit 
of  liberty  ?   Who  were  the  Tories  ?  What  was  done  to  them  ? 

1.  From  the  Beginning  of  the  Revolution  in  1775  to  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  1776 

Pages  142-152.  Describe  the  British  expedition  to  Lexington  and  Concord.  What  hap- 
pened the  morning  after  the  retreat  of  the  British  to  Boston?  When  and  where  did  the 
Second  Continental  Congress  meet?  What  three  things  did  it  do?  From  this  time  until 
1781  what  body  governed  the  colonies  ?  Give  an  account  of  Ethan  Allen  at  Ticonderoga. 
Describe  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Who  now  took  command  of  the  American  army  at 
Cambridge  ?  How  large  was  that  army  ?  Give  an  account  of  the  expedition  against  Quebec. 
Describe  Arnold's  progress  through  the  forests  of  Maine.  How  did  Washington  drive  the 
British  out  of  Boston  ?  What  is  said  of  Fort  Sullivan  or  Moultrie  ?  For  what  had  the  Ameri- 
cans been  fighting  up  to  1776?  What  did  Washington  say  about  independence?  What 
did  Paine  declare  in  his  M  Common  Sense "  ?  Did  the  English  people  want  to  fight  the 
Americans  ?  What  troops  did  the  King  hire  to  fight  for  him  ?  Had  the  Americans  sought 
separation  from  Great  Britain  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

2.  The  War  of  Independence,  from  July  4,  1776,  to  the  Victory  of 
Saratoga,  1777 

Pages  153-161.  What  did  the  British  hope  to  do  at  New  York  ?  What  is  said  of  our  navy  ? 
How  did  Washington  prepare  to  meet  the  British  ?  How  did  the  British  army  and  the  Amer- 
ican compare  in  numbers  ?  Describe  the  battle  of  Long  Island  and  Washington's  retreat. 
What  about  Nathan  Hale  ?  What  forts  did  Washington  lose  ?  What  is  said  about  General 
Charles  Lee  ?  Describe  Washington's  retreat  across  the  Delaware.  What  did  Washington 
do  on  Christmas  night,  1776  ?  What  did  Robert  Morris  do  for  him  on  New  Year's  morning, 
1777  ?  How  did  Washington  outwit  Cornwallis  ?  What  noted  foreigners  joined  the  American 
army?  Describe  Burgoyne's  expedition,  with  the  battles  of  Oriskany  and  Bennington. 
Describe  Howe's  expedition  to  Philadelphia.  Where  did  Washington  go  with  his  army 
after  he  was  repulsed  at  Germantown  ?  What  great  victory,  known  as  "  the  turning  point  in 
the  Revolution,"  did  the  Americans  gain  near  Saratoga  in  1777  ?   What  officers  really  won 


xlviii       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

that  battle  ?  What  about  the  Stars  and  Stripes  ?  What  two  important  results  did  the  victory 
at  Saratoga  have?  What  treaty  did  Benjamin  Franklin  make  with  France  in  1778?  What 
is  said  of  Franklin  and  Washington  in  the  Revolution  ? 

3.  From  the  Treaty  with  France  to  the  End  of  the  War  for  Independence 

(1778-1783) 

Pages  161-170.  What  is  said  of  Washington  at  Valley  Forge  ?  What  did  England  offer  us 
in  1778?  Why?  What  made  the  British  abandon  Philadelphia?  Describe  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  and  speak  of  General  Lee's  disgrace.  What  did  the  Indians  do  at  Wyoming  and 
Cherry  Valley  ?  What  did  George  Rogers  Clark  do  in  the  West  ?  What  was  the  British 
plan  in  the  South  ?  What  victory  did  "  Mad  Anthony  Wayne  "  win  on  the  Hudson  ?  What 
news  did  we  get  from  Captain  Paul  Jones  ?  After  the  British  had  taken  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  how  did  Marion  and  Sumter  help  the  American  cause  ?  What  was  the  result  of  the 
battle  of  Camden  ?  What  of  that  of  King's  Mountain?  Give  an  account  of  Arnold's  treason. 
What  is  said  of  the  winter  at  Morristown?  Describe  General  Greene's  campaign  in  the 
South.  What  occurred  at  Steele's  tavern?  What  did  General  Greene  succeed  in  doing? 
Where  had  Cornwallis  gone  ?  Why  did  he  finally  go  to  Yorktown  ?  Describe  Washington's 
siege  of  Yorktown  and  the  result.  What  is  said  of  Washington's  crowning  victory  ?  What 
did  Lord  North  exclaim  when  he  heard  of  it  ?  Can  you  give  a  short  summary  of  the  Revo- 
lution ?  What  did  George  III  say  in  his  speech  on  the  United  States?  What  did  he  say  to 
John  Adams  ?   What  did  the  treaty  of  peace  secure  to  us  in  1783  ? 

The  Articles  of  Confederation.   The  Constitution 

Pages  170-176.  What  were  the  Articles  of  Confederation  ?  When  were  they  adopted  ? 
Under  these  Articles  what  two  great  things  did  the  government  accomplish  ?  For  what  two 
reasons  were  the  Articles  unsatisfactory  ?  What  was  the  condition  of  the  country  ?  Could  a 
man  buy  or  sell  freely  outside  of  his  own  state  ?  Why  not  ?  Give  an  account  of  "  Shays'  Re- 
bellion." How  did  the  Northwest  Territory  help  keep  the  Union  together?  Mention  four 
provisions  of  the  Ordinance  for  the  government  of  the  Northwest  Territory.  What  did 
Washington,  Franklin,  and  others  think  must  be  done  about  the  Articles  of  Confederation  ? 
Give  an  account  of  the  convention  called  to  make  a  new  constitution  in  1787.  What  three 
compromises  were  agreed  to  ?  What  do  the  opening  lines  of  the  Constitution  show  ?  With 
what  words  does  the  Constitution  begin  ?  What  party  favored  adopting  the  Constitution  ? 
What  party  opposed  it  ?  Why  ?  What  did  all  the  states  finally  decide  ?  What  part  did  Alex- 
ander Hamilton  take  in  this  ?  When  was  the  new  Constitution  adopted  ?  When  did  it  go  into 
effect  ?  Can  you  name  one  or  more  of  the  six  great  objects  which  it  accomplished  ?  What 
were  the  ten  amendments  to  the  Constitution  called  ?  How  many  other  amendments  were 
made  later?  What  did  the  "  Bill  of  Rights"  do?  What  effect  did  it  have  on  many  Anti- 
Federalists  ?   What  did  John  Adams  say  about  the  United  States  ? 

V.  The  Union  —  National  Development  (1789-1861) 

The  Federalist  Party  In  Power 

George  Washington,  President,  Federalist  (1789-1797) 

Pages  177-182.  What  two  parties  united  to  elect  Washington  President?  What  city  was 
then  the  national  capital  ?  Describe  his  inauguration.  What  four  men  did  he  choose  for 
his  cabinet?  To  what  office  did  he  appoint  John  Jay?  What  did  Congress  do  in  1789  to 
obtain  money  to  carry  on  the  government?  What  three  debts  did  Hamilton  persuade  the 
government  to  pay?  What  influence  did  that  policy  have  on  our  credit?  When  was  the 
first  census  taken  ?  What  is  meant  by  the  w  Federal  Ratio "  ?  What  is  said  of  the  first 
United  States  bank  ?  of  the  first  mint  ?  What  two  regularly  organized  political  parties  had 
their  origin  in  the  discussion  over  the  bank  ?  What  did  the  members  of  the  Republican 
party  afterward  call  themselves?  What  did  the  Federalists  believe  ?  What  did  the  Republi- 
cans (or  Democrats)  believe  ?  Give  some  account  of  "  Citizen  "  Genet.  What  proclamation 
did  Washington  issue  ? 

Pages  183-187.  Describe  the  emigration  to  the  West.  What  is  said  of  Cincinnati  ?  What 
did  General  Wayne  make  the  Indians  do  ?  Give  some  account  of  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
in  Rhode  Island.   What  machine  did  Eli  Whitney  invent  in  1793  ?   What  effect  did  it  have 


QUESTIONS  xlix 

on  the  production  of  cotton  ?  on  the  export  of  cotton  ?  on  the  building  of  cotton  mills  at  the 
North  ?  on  slave  labor  ?  What  caused  the  Whisky  Rebellion  ?  What  action  did  Washington 
take  ?  What  did  the  treaty  with  Spain  do  for  us  ?  What  is  said  about  Jay's  treaty  with  Eng- 
land (1795)  ?  What  did  certain  abusive  newspapers  make  Washington  say  ?  What  advice  did 
Washington  give  the  people  in  his  farewell  address  ?  When  he  left  office  in  what  condition 
did  he  leave  the  country  ? 

John  Adams,  President,  Federalist  (1797-1801) 

Pages  188-190.  When  President  Adams  entered  office  how  did  France  feel  and  act  toward 
us  ?  What  were  the  "  X.  Y.  Z.  Papers  "  ?  When  war  with  France  broke  out  what  new  song 
was  sung  ?  What  did  our  sailors  do  ?  Why  did  Congress  pass  the  Alien  and  the  Sedition 
Laws  ?  What  is  said  of  the  first  of  these  laws  ?  What  of  the  second  ?  What  resolutions  did 
Kentucky  and  Virginia  pass  in  regard  to  these  laws  ?  What  great  man  died  in  1799?  What 
marks  of  respect  were  shown  to  his  memory  in  France  and  in  England  ? 

VI.  The  Democratic  Party  in  Power 

Thomas  Jefferson,  President,  Democrat  (1801-1809) 

Pages  191-195.  What  did  Jefferson  call  himself  ?  On  what  did  he  pride  himself  ?  What  is 
said  about  the  city  of  Washington  ?  WThat  appointments  to  office  did  Jefferson  make  ?  How 
far  west  was  it  thought  the  United  States  might  permanently  extend  ?  Was  it  strange  men 
should  have  thought  so  then  ?  Give  an  account  of  our  new  navy  and  of  what  it  taught  the 
pirates  of  Tripoli.  What  did  the  Pope  say  about  it?  Describe  the  purchase  of  Louisiana 
territory  in  1803.  How  much  land  did  we  get?  What  did  we  pay  an  acre  for  it?  What  four 
advantages  came  from  the  purchase  ?  Give  an  account  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  expedition. 
What  effect  did  it  have  on  the  Oregon  territory  ? 

Pages  196-199.  What  effect  did  the  French  and  English  war  have  on  us  ?  What  did  the 
British  man-of-war  Leopard  do  ?  Why  did  Congress  pass  the  Embargo  Act  ?  What  did  it 
do  ?  Why  did  Congress  repeal  the  act  ?  What  new  act  was  passed,  and  what  effect  did  it 
have  ?  Why  was  Aaron  Burr  tried  for  treason  ?  What  was  the  result  ?  Give  an  account  of 
"  Fulton's  Folly"  in  1807.  What  result  came  from  his  great  invention?  What  is  said  about 
the  Savannah,  and  about  lines  of  ocean  steamers  ?  When  was  the  importation  of  slaves  for- 
bidden ?   What  did  Jefferson  say  about  slavery? 

James  Madison,  President,  Democrat  (1809-1817) 

Pages  igg-2oo.  Describe  the  reopening  of  trade  with  Great  Britain.  What  was  the  result  ? 
How  did  Napoleon  deceive  us  ?   What  about  Tecumseh  ?   What  of  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  ? 

The  War  of  1812 

Pages  200-208.  What  were  the  Henry  letters  ?  What  effect  did  they  have  ?  What  was  the 
real  cause  of  the  War  of  1812  ?  What  was  the  so-called  "  right  of  search  "  ?  How  did  New 
England  feel  about  the  war?  What  is  said  of  General  Hull?  How  many  war  ships  did  Eng- 
land have  ?  How  many  had  we  ?  What  about  the  Constitution  and  the  Guerriere  ?  Describe 
Commodore  Perry's  victory.  What  did  General  Jackson  do  at  Tohopeka  ?  What  is  said  of 
Chippewa  and  Lundy's  Lane  ?  Describe  the  taking  and  burning  of  Washington.  Give  an 
account  of  Macdonough's  victory.  What  about  the  British  attack  on  Fort  McHenry?  What 
song  was  written  on  that  occasion  ?  Describe  Jackson's  great  battle  at  New  Orleans.  What 
about  the  treaty  of  peace  ?  What  was  the  Hartford  Convention  ?  What  was  the  War  of  1812 
called  ?  What  result  did  it  have  on  the  ocean  ?  What  did  it  show  foreign  countries  ?  What 
effect  did  it  have  on  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and  woolen  ?  How  did  Congress  safeguard 
these  mills  ? 

James  Monroe,  President,  Democrat  (1817-1825) 

Pages  209-219.  What  is  said  of  Monroe's  inauguration?  What  about  his  journey  through 
the  North  ?  What  showed  that  the  "  Era  of  Good  Feeling  "  had  begun  ?  Speak  of  the  first 
Seminole  War.  What  territory  did  we  buy  in  18 19  ?  What  great  question  about  slavery  came 
up  then  ?   What  is  said  about  the  change  of  feeling  about  slavery  ?   Why  did  the  South  want 


1  LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

free  trade  with  Europe  ?  Why  did  the  North  want  a  protective  tariff  ?  Why  did  the  North 
oppose  the  extension  of  slavery  west  of  the  Mississippi?  Why  did  the  South  demand  it? 
What  was  the  great  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820  ?  Speak  of  the  desire  to  reach  the  West, 
and  of  the  National  Road.  Describe  the  traffic  over  that  road.  How  did  the  Monroe  Doc- 
trine originate  in  1823  ?  What  does  it  mean  ?  Describe  the  visit  of  Lafayette  in  1825.  What 
inscription  is  on  his  monument  in  Paris  ? 

John  Quincy  Adams,  President,  Independent  Democrat  (1825-1829) 

Pages  219-225.  What  is  said  of  the  building  of  the  Erie  Canal  ?  Describe  its  opening  in 
1825.  What  has  that  canal  done  for  New  York  and  for  the  country?  What  is  the  state  of 
New  York  now  doing  for  that  canal  ?  What  is  said  about  "  steam  wagons  "  ?  Speak  of  the 
first  passenger  railway  in  America.  What  about  the  first  American  locomotive  and  the  race 
(1830)  ?  Describe  the  growth  of  railways  in  the  United  States.  How  do  they  strengthen  the 
Union  ?  What  is  said  about  drinking  habits  in  early  days  ?  What  about  the  movement  to 
overcome  intemperance  ?   What  does  the  young  man  beginning  life  now,  find  ? 

VII.  The  New  Democracy 

Andrew  Jackson,  President,  Democrat  (1829-1837) 

Pages  226-230.  What  is  said  of  Jackson's'character  ?  What  was  the  w  political  revolution  "  ? 
What  was  the  "Spoils  System"?  Who  published  the  Liberator  in  183 1?  What  had  Mr. 
Garrison  made  up  his  mind  to  do  ?  What  did  Dr.  Channing  write  to  Daniel  Webster  ?  What 
about  the  slave  insurrection  in  Virginia  ?  What  happened  to  Mr.  Garrison  ?  What  did  Daniel 
Webster  and  Abraham  Lincoln  think  about  slavery  and  the  Union  ?  Speak  of  the  Abolition 
societies,  of  petitions  to  Congress,  of  John  Quincy  Adams  in  Congress.  Why  did  President 
Jackson  put  an  end  to  the  second  United  States  Bank  ?  What  did  he  do  with  the  public  money  ? 

Pages  230-234.  What  stand  did  South  Carolina  take  in  regard  to  protective  tariffs  ?  Why  ? 
What  did  Calhoun  call  the  tariff  of  1828  ?  What  did  he  demand?  What  did  South  Carolina 
refuse  to  do?  What  was  that  refusal  called?  What  senator  upheld  nullification?  Who 
replied  to  him?  When  Calhoun  defended  secession  what  did  Webster  say?  What  did 
Webster  make  Americans  realize?  What  did  President  Jackson  say  he  must  do?  What 
did  he  do?    What  action  did  Henry  Clay  take?   What  effect  did  his  action  have? 

Pages  234-239.  Speak  of  the  growth  of  the  country ;  of  the  extension  of  canals  and  rail- 
ways ;  of  the  use  of  coal ;  and  of  the  express  system.  What  Indian  war  broke  out  at  the  West  ? 
What  was  the  second  Seminole  War  ?  What  can  you  say  about  Chicago  ?  What  painters  had 
America  produced  ?  What  three  noted  writers  ?  What  well-known  book  was  published  in  1828? 
What  other  noted  writers  can  you  name  ?  What  is  said  about  the  first  cheap  newspaper  ? 
What  new  political  party  appeared  about  this  time  ?  What  eminent  statesman  was  leader  of 
the  new  party  ? 

Martin  Van  Buren,  President,  Democrat  (1837-1841) 

Pages  239-244.  What  great  business  panic 'began  in  1837?  Can  you  describe  it?  What 
effect  did  it  have  on  factories,  mills,  and  workmen  ?  How  did  it  affect  a  number  of  states  ? 
What  were  the  three  chief  causes  of  the  panic  ?  What  good  result  did  it  have  ?  When  was 
the  independent  treasury  of  the  United  States  permanently  established  ?  Give  an  account  of 
the  rise  of  the  Mormons.  To  what  part  of  the  West  did  they  finally  emigrate  ?  What  great 
and  successful  work  did  they  do  there  ?  Speak  of  emigration  to  the  United  States.  Is  the 
door  wide  open  to  all  now  ?  When  do  we  say,  "  Come  in  "  ?  When  do  we  say,  "  Keep  out "  ? 
What  is  said  of  American  "  clipper  ships  "  ?   What  of  ocean  steamers  ? 

W.  H.  Harrison  and  John  Tyler,  Presidents,  Whigs  (1841-1845) 

Pages  244-249.  Describe  the  election  of  "  the  Log-Cabin  candidate."  How  long  did  he 
live  ?  What  is  said  about  Tyler  ?  What  about  the  Dorr  Rebellion  ?  the  Webster- Ashburton 
Treaty  ?  What  did  Webster  say  our  flag  would  protect  ?  Who  were  the  anti-renters  ?  What 
is  said  about  the  telegraph  in  1844  ?  What  was  the  first  message  sent  by  it  ?  What  oceans  has 
the  telegraph  crossed  ?  What  about  the  telephone  ?  What  about  the  "  wireless  telegraph  "  ? 
Who  publicly  proved  in  1846  that  ether  would  control  pain  ?  What  republic  did  we  annex  in 
1845  ?   why  did  the  South  want  Texas  ? 


QUESTIONS  li 

James  K.  Polk,  President,  Democrat  (1845-1849) 

Pages  250-252.  What  is  said  of  Oregon?  What  of  Dr.  Whitman's  journey  to  Oregon? 
What  of  his  journey  to  the  East,  and  of  his  return  ?  How  did  we  get  Oregon  territory  in  1846  ? 

The  Mexican  War  (1846-1848) 

Pages  252-258.  What  dispute  did  Texas  have  with  Mexico?  What  caused  our  war  with 
Mexico  ?  What  victories  did  General  Taylor  win  ?  Who  took  the  city  of  Mexico  and  so  ended 
the  war  ?  What  two  officers  in  Scott's  army  became  leading  generals,  on  opposite  sides,  in 
the  Civil  War?  What  territory  did  Mexico  give  up  to  us  at  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1848? 
What  was  the  "  Gadsden  Purchase  "  of  1853  ?  Describe  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
in  1848.  What  about  emigration  to  California?  What  about  digging  gold?  What  of  the 
w  Vigilance  Committee  "  ?  What  results  did  the  discovery  of  gold  have  ?  Why  is  California 
a  land  of  gold  forever  growing  ? 

Zachary  Taylor  and  Millard  Fillmore,  Presidents,  Whigs  (1849-1853) 

Pages  258-262.  What  question  in  regard  to  slavery  was  Congress  now  called  upon  to  deter- 
mine ?  How  did  the  question  of  slavery  extension  act  on  the  North  and  the  South  ?  How  did 
the  North  feel  about  slavery?  How  did  the  South  feel?  What  is  said  about  the  "Wilmot 
Proviso "  ?  What  did  the  extreme  southern  men  say  about  opening  the  new  territory  to 
slavery  ?  What  did  the  advocates  of  the  "  Wilmot  Proviso  "  reply  ?  What  did  a  third  class 
say?  What  three  compromise  measures  did  Clay  propose  in  1850?  Did  these  measures 
pass  ?  What  results  did  the  new  Fugitive-Slave  Law  have  ?  What  was  the  "  Underground 
Railroad  "  ?  What  is  said  about  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  ?  What  were  the  forces  for  slavery 
and  those  against  it  doing  ?   What  is  said  of  Charles  Sumner  and  of  Jefferson  Davis  ? 

Franklin  Pierce,  President,  Democrat  (1853-1857) 

Pages  262-^265.  What  did  the  "Crystal  Palace"  Exhibition  of  1853  prove?  What  four 
remarkable  machines  were  exhibited  ?  What  is  said  about  the  reapers,  mowers,  and  har- 
vesters in  the  West  ?   What  did  Commodore  M.  C.  Perry  do  in  Japan  ? 

Pages  265-268.  What  is  said  about  the  famous  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820  ?  Who  pro- 
posed the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  in  1854  ?  What  did  that  bill  do  ?  Did  it  pass  ?  What  new 
political  party  was  formed  in  1856  ?  Describe  the  desperate  struggle  between  the  North  and 
the  South  for  the  possession  of  Kansas.  What  is  said  of  "  Old  John  Brown "  ?  In  the 
end  which  party  won,  the  "  Slave-state  men  "  or  the  "  Free-statemen  "  ?  What  happened  to 
Senator  Charles  Sumner  ? 

James  Buchanan,  President,  Democrat  (1857-1861) 

Pages  268-272.  What  was  the  Dred  Scott  case  (1857)  ?  What  did  the  court  decide  ?  What 
effect  did  this  decision  have  on  the  North  ?  What  can  you  say  of  the  panic  of  1857  ?  What 
caused  it  ?  What  was  discovered  in  Nevada  and  Colorado  ?  What  did  E.  L.  Drake  do  in 
northwestern  Pennsylvania  in  1859  ?  Compare  the  total  length  of  the  pipe  lines  with  the 
Mississippi  ?    What  is  said  of  natural  gas  ? 

Pages  273-279.  Describe  John  Brown's  raid,  1859.  What  happened  not  long  after  his  exe- 
cution ?  Whom  did  the  Republicans  elect  President  in  i860  ?  What  did  the  people  of  South 
Carolina  think  of  the  election  ?  What  did  they  do  ?  By  February  1,  1861,  what  had  six  other 
southern  states  done  ?  What  name  did  the  seceded  states  take,  what  President  did  they  elect, 
and  what  flag  did  they  hoist  ?  Why  did  these  states  secede  ?  What  kind  of  a  republic  did  they 
aim  to  establish?  What  did  the  Confederacy  seize?  What  is  said  of  Fort  Sumter?  What 
did  President  Buchanan  try  to  do  ?  What  happened  ?  What  is  said  about  the  growth  of  the 
United  States  between  1789  and  1861  ?  Speak  of  the  rapid  growth  of  the  West.  What  sad 
difference  was  there  between  1789  and  1861  ?  What  had  caused  this  sad  difference  ?  What 
had  time  strengthened  ?  What  must  happen  with  regard  to  the  Union  ?  In  such  a  war  what 
would  happen  if  freedom  should  triumph  ?   Why  ? 


lii  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

VHI.  The  Civil  War  (April,  1861-April,  1865) 

Abraham  Lincoln,  President,  Republican  (1861-1865) 

Pages  280-281.  At  his  inauguration  what  did  President  Lincoln  say  about  slavery?  What 
about  the  Union  ?  What  about  beginning  war  ?  What  was  then  the  general  feeling  in  the 
northern  states  ? 

First  Year  of  the  War  (April,  i86i-April,  1862) 

Pages  281-286.  What  is  said  about  Major  Anderson  ?  Describe  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter. 
What  was  the  result  ?  What  did  President  Lincoln  do  the  next  day  ?  What  is  said  of  the 
rising  of  the  North  ?  How  about  the  South  ?  How  many  more  states  seceded  ?  How  many  did 
this  make  in  all  ?  Name  them.  To  what  city  in  Virginia  was  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy 
removed  ?  What  is  meant  by  General  Butler's  "  contrabands  "  ?  What  three  advantages  did 
the  North  have  with  respect  to  the  war?  What  four  advantages  did  the  South  have  ?  What 
did  General  Grant  think  about  the  two  armies?  In  what  four  ways  did  the  national  govern- 
ment raise  money  for  the  war  ?   What  is  said  about  national  banks  ? 

Pages  286-291.  Speak  of  the  number  and  position  of  the  Union  and  the  Confederate 
armies  in  1861.  Describe  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  How  did  "Stonewall"  Jackson  get  his 
name  ?  What  results  did  the  Union  defeat  have  ?  What  great  work  did  General  McClellan 
do  ?  What  were  the  four  points  of  the  Union  plan  of  the  war  ?  What  is  said  of  the  blockade 
by  the  Union  navy  ?  Speak  of  blockade  runners  and  Confederate  vessels  of  war.  What  is 
said  about  the  seizure  of  Mason  and  Slidell  ?  What  can  you  say  of  the  Merrimac  ?  What  of 
the  Monitor? 

Pages  292-295.  What  is  said  of  the  war  in  the  West?  What  Confederate  fort  did  Com- 
modore Foote  take  ?  What  important  victory  did  "  Unconditional  Surrender  "  Grant  win  ? 
Why  did  he  get  this  name  ?  What  is  said  of  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  ?  What  about 
Island  Number  Ten  ?    What  was  the  general  result  of  the  first  year  of  the  war? 

Second  Year  of  the  War  (April,  i862-April,  1863) 

Pages  295-301 .  Describe  the  expedition  against  New  Orleans.  After  Farragut's  victory  what 
were  the  only  important  fortified  points  on  the  Mississippi  which  were  still  held  by  the  Con- 
federates ?  Describe  McClellan's  advance  on  Richmond.  What  is  said  about  the  weather? 
Speak  of  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson's  raid,  and  of  Stuart's  raid.  What  were  the  results  of  McClel- 
lan's "  Seven  Days'  Battles  "  around  Richmond  ?  Describe  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
What  move  did  General  Lee  make  ?  What  happened  at  Antietam  ?  Speak  of  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg  and  Murfreesboro  ? 

Pages  301-302.  What  did  President  Lincoln  do  on  New  Year's  Day,  1863?  Why  did  he 
issue  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  ?  What  did  the  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  1865  declare?  What  has  free  labor  done  for  the  South?  What  was  the  North 
fighting  for  before  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  ?   What  did  it  fight  for  afterwards  ? 

Third  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1863-ApRiL,  1864) 

Pages  302-309.  What  is  said  of  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  ?  What  noted  Confederate 
officer  was  killed  ?  Describe  the  great  battle  of  Gettysburg  in  1863.  What  is  said  of  Pickett's 
charge  ?  Describe  the  High- Water-Mark  Monument.  What  was  the  result  of  the  great  battle  ? 
What  can  you  say  about  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  in  1863  ?  On  what  day  did  Vicksburg  sur- 
render? What  place  surrendered  five  days  later?  What  is  said  of  the  Mississippi  River? 
What  about  the  draft  riots  ?  What  about  Morgan's  raid  ?  What  is  said  about  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  ?  What  did  the  Union  soldiers  call  General  Thomas  ?  Speak  of  the  battles  of 
Lookout  Mountain  and  of  Missionary  Ridge.  What  did  Sherman  do  at  Meridian  ?  Who  was 
now  (1864)  made  general  in  chief  of  the  Union  armies? 

Fourth  and  Last  Year  of  the  War  (April,  1864-ApRiL,  1865) 

Pages  310-315.  What  did  Grant  and  Sherman  now  decide  to  do  ?  What  was  this  famous 
campaign  called  ?  What  was  the  "  Wilderness  "  ?  What  order  did  Grant  telegraph  to  Sherman 
from  the  Wilderness  ?  Speak  of  the  battles  of  the  "  Wilderness."   What  had  Grant  vowed  ? 


QUESTIONS  liii 

Did  he  turn  back  ?  What  did  he  do  ?  What  is  said  of  Captain  Winslow  of  the  Kearsarge  ? 
What  two  raids  did  General  Early  make  ?  Describe  Sheridan's  raid  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 
What  is  said  about  the  Petersburg  mine  ?   What  of  Sheridan's  ride  from  Winchester  ? 

Pages  315-324.  What  advance  did  Sherman  make  in  the  West  ?  Describe  his  movement  on 
Atlanta.  What  is  said  about  the  weather  ?  Did  he  take  Atlanta  ?  What  did  he  do  to  the  city  ? 
What  victory  did  Admiral  Farragut  win  ?  Describe  Sherman's  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea. 
What  is  said  about  Hood?  What  did  Thomas  do?  What  message  did  Sherman  send  to 
President  Lincoln  from  Savannah  ?  Describe  Sherman's  march  northward.  What  announce- 
ment did  he  make  to  his  army  on  April  12,  1865  ?  What  effect  did  this  have  on  both  Union  and 
Confederate  soldiers  ?  What  did  a  southern  woman  say  to  her  children  ?  Who  surrendered 
to  Sherman  near  Raleigh  ? 

Pages  324-327.  Speak  of  Sheridan's  two  raids  around  Richmond.  What  place  did  Grant 
capture  on  April  2,  1865  ?  What  city  did  he  take  on  April  3  ?  What  is  said  of  Jefferson 
Davis?  Give  an  account  of  Lee's  surrender  on  April  9,  1865.  What  did  General  Anderson 
do  at  Fort  Sumter  on  April  14  ?  How  many  years  was  it  since  the  Confederates  had  won 
their  first  victory  in  the  Civil  War  ?  What  had  the  war  cost  ?  What  terrible  crime  was  com- 
mitted at  Washington  on  the  evening  of  April  14,  1865  ?  What  is  said  of  President  Lincoln  ? 
What  is  said  about  the  North  during  the  war  ?  What  about  the  Sanitary  and  the  Christian 
Commissions  ?  What  is  said  of  the  people  of  the  South  in  the  war  ?  What  did  General  Grant 
say  about  them  ?  What  effect  did  the  final  triumph  of  the  national  forces  have  on  the  Union  ? 

IX.  Reconstruction  —  The  New  Nation  (1865  to  the  Present  Time) 
Andrew  Johnson,  President,  Republican  (April,  1865-1869) 

Pages  328-332.  What  event  made  Vice  President  Johnson  President?  What  very  difficult 
work  was  President  Johnson  called  to  undertake  ?  Give  an  account  of  the  military  review  in 
Washington.  What  is  said  of  the  return  of  the  soldiers  to  their  homes  ?  What  effect  did 
the  war  have  on  secession  ?  What  effect  on  the  negro  ?  What  is  said  of  General  Grant  ? 
What  of  General  Lee  ?  What  did  Lee  say  to  his  men  ?  What  proclamation  did  President 
Johnson  issue  in  May,  1865  ?  What  action  did  most  of  the  southern  states  take?  On  what 
question  did  the  President  and  Congress  disagree  ?  What  did  Congress  do  ?  What  did 
President  Johnson  do?  What  effect  did  the  First  Reconstruction  Act  have?  What  is  said 
of  the  Fourteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  ?  What  was  the  first  southern  state  that 
was  readmitted  ?  How  many  other  states  came  back  ?  How  many  refused  to  come  back  and 
remained  out  until  1870  ?  What  is  said  about  the  negro  legislators  and  the  "  Carpetbaggers  "  ? 
What  brought  their  reign  to  an  end  ? 

Pages  332-335.  What  was  the  Tenure  of  Office  Act?  Why  did  Congress  impeach  Presi- 
dent Johnson  ?  What  was  the  result?  What  proclamation  did  the  President  issue  on  Christ- 
mas, 1868  ?  When  was  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  ratified  ?  What  did  the 
three  amendments  do  for  the  negro  ?  Has  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  any  real  force  at  the 
South  ?  Why  not  ?  Describe  the  laying  of  the  first  Atlantic  telegraph  cable.  What  great 
territory  did  we  purchase  in  1867  ?  What  results  has  that  purchase  had  ?  What  was  the 
amount  of  the  great  Civil  War  debt?  How  long  would  it  take  to  count  it?  How  much  of  it 
have  we  paid  ?  How  was  our  national  debt  increased  in  1898  ?  How  did  it  stand  at  the  close 
of  1907  ? 

Ulysses  S.  Grant,  President,  Republican  (1869-1877) 

Pages  336-341.  How  was  communication  overland  kept  up  with  California  from  i860  to 
1869  ?  What  great  work  was  completed  in  1869  ?  Can  you  describe  it  ?  What  very  important 
result  has  that  railway,  with  the  telegraph,  had  on  the  Union  ?  What  effect  has  that  railway, 
with  others,  had  on  commerce  with  Asia  ?  What  effect  have  they  had  on  the  growth  of  the 
Far  West  ?  What  can  you  say  about  the  national  land  laws  I  What  about  the  Homestead  Act 
of  1862  ?  What  about  the  National  Irrigation  Act  of  1902  ?  What  of  emigration  to  the  West, 
and  growth  of  cities  like  Denver  ?  Give  an  account  of  some  of  the  great  farms  and  ranches 
of  the  Far  West.  When  was  the  reconstruction  of  the  southern  states  completed  ?  Speak  of 
the  Ku  Klux  Klan  and  the  "  Force  Bill."  What  is  said  about  the  negro  ?  What  is  said  of  the 
Weather  Bureau  ?  What  about  the  great  fires  of  1871-1872  ?  What  do  our  losses  by  fire  now 
average  ?   What  is  said  of  "  Boss  "  Tweed  ? 

Pages  341-345-  What  did  the  new  Coinage  Act  of  1873  do?  Speak  of  the  panic  of  1873. 
Describe  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  in  1876.  What  three  remarkable  novelties 


liv  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

were  exhibited  there  ?  Give  an  account  of  the  telephone.  What  about  experiments  with 
the  wireless  telephone  ?  What  is  said  of  progress  in  the  use  of  electricity  ?  What  of  auto- 
mobiles and  flying  machines  ?  What  may  the  twentieth  century  be  called  ?  What  important 
treaty  did  we  make  in  187 1  ?  What  was  one  of  its  results?  What  is  said  about  Indian  wars 
at  the  West?  Give  an  account  of  the  disputed  Presidential  election  of  1876.  How  was  that 
dangerous  dispute  settled  ? 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  President,  Republican  (1877-1881) 

Pages  345-348.  Why  did  President  Hayes  withdraw  the  United  States  troops  from  the 
South?  What  was  the  result?  Describe  the  first  great  historic  labor  strike  in  1877.  What 
important  work  did  Captain  Eads  complete  in  1879  ?  What  can  you  say  about  the  restoration 
of  "  the  dollar  of  our  fathers  "  in  1878  ?   What  about  *  greenbacks  "  in  1879  ? 

James  A.  Garfield  and  Chester  A.  Arthur,  Presidents,  Republicans  (1881-1885) 

Pages  348-353.  What  happened  to  President  Garfield  in  the  autumn  of  1881  ?  Who  then 
became  President?  What  law  did  Congress  pass  in  1883  ?  Why?  What  about  the  extension 
of  this  law  ?  What  advantage  does  the  "  merit  system  "  secure  ?  Speak  of  the  East  River 
Suspension  Bridge.  What  other  great  works  of  this  kind  have  been  completed  since  ?  What 
about  cheap  postage  ?  Why  did  Congress  pass  the  Alien  Contract  Labor  Act  ?  What  does 
that  act  prohibit  ?  Speak  of  the  exportation  of  cotton  and  of  the  Cotton  Centennial  Exhibi- 
tion. Describe  the  growth  of  New  Orleans  since  the  Civil  War.  What  is  said  about  the 
"  New  South  "  ?  Mention  some  of  its  K  hives  of  industry."  What  is  said  about  the  supplies 
of  cotton,  iron,  lumber,  and  coal  of  the  South?  What  is  free  labor  accomplishing?  How 
much  cotton  did  the  South  produce  just  before  the  Civil  War?  How  much  now?  What  is 
said  about  the  prosperity  of  the  negroes  ?   What  about  education  ? 

Grover  Cleveland,  President,  Democrat  (First  Term,  1885-1889) 

Pages  353-358.  How  long  had  the  Republicans  been  in  power  when  Mr.  Cleveland  became 
President?  What  is  said  of  the  "Knights  of  Labor"?  What  was  one  of  their  objects? 
Speak  of  the  "  black  list "  and  of  the  M  boycott."  What  about  the  "  American  Federation  of 
Labor  "  ?  What  about  the  National  Labor  Bureau  ?  What  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  ? 
What  was  the  year  1886  called?  What  occurred  in  Chicago?  What  is  the  object  of  the  an- 
archist? Give  some  account  of  great  corporations  and  "trusts."  What  is  a  "  trust "  ?  Mention 
some  objects  for  which  "  trusts  "  have  been  formed.  What  is  said  about  the  consolidation 
of  railway  lines  ?  What  of  "  department  stores "  ?  What  action  has  the  national  govern- 
ment recently  taken  in  regard  to  great  railways  and  "  trusts "  ?  Describe  the  Statue  of 
Liberty.  What  three  important  laws  did  Congress  pass  in  1886-1887  ?  What  was  the  object 
of  the  Railway  Rate  Act  of  1906  ?  How  many  members  has  the  Cabinet  now  ?  Can  you 
name  them  ? 

Benjamin  Harrison,  President,  Republican  (1889-1893) 

Pages  359-362.  What  does  the  name  Oklahoma  mean?  Describe  the  opening  of  that 
territory  in  1889.  When  was  Oklahoma  admitted  to  the  Union?  (See  page  397.)  What  is 
said  about  the  new  American  navy  ?  What  does  suffrage  mean  ?  What  four  western  states 
have  granted  women  equal  suffrage  with  men?  What  is  said  about  the  Pension  Act  of 
1890?  What  was  the  Sherman  Silver  Purchase  and  Coinage  Act?  Did  silver  rise  in  value? 
How  much  was  a  silver  dollar  worth  by  weight  in  1890?  What  was  it  worth  a  little  later? 
What  was  the  main  object  of  the  McKinley  Protective  Tariff  ?  What  is  said  of  the  census  of 
1890  ?  Speak  of  the  Patent  Office  Centennial  celebration.  What  is  said  about  our  labor-saving 
machines  ?   Where  did  the  seconcf  great  strike  in  our  history  occur  ? 

Grover  Cleveland,  President,  Democrat  (Second  Term,  1893-1897) 

Pages  363-366.  Give  an  account  of  the  Australian  or  secret  ballot.  How  many  states  now 
use  it?  What  anniversary  was  celebrated  by  the  public  schools  in  October,  1892  ?  What  ex- 
position was  opened  the  next  spring  ?  What  is  said  about  the  panic  of  1893  ?  What  did  Con- 
gress do  about  the  Sherman  Silver  Purchase  and  Coinage  Act  ?   What  is  said  about  the  Bering 


QUESTIONS  lv 

Sea  dispute  ?  What  was  the  Coxey  "  Industrial  Army  "  ?  Give  an  account  of  the  third  historic 
strike.  What  is  said  of  the  panic  of  1894  ?  What  was  the  Wilson  Tariff  ?  What  is  said  about 
the  growth  of  the  "  New  West "  ?   What  about  the  Venezuela  question  ?   How  was  it  settled  ? 

William  McKinley,  President,  Republican  (1897-1901) 

Pages  366-371.  Give  some  account  of  the  Dingley  Protective  Tariff.  What  is  said  about 
the  increase  in  our  exports  ?  For  what  does  Great  Britain  depend  upon  us  ?  What  is  said 
about  our  manufactures  of  iron,  steel,  and  copper  ?  What  about  our  exports  of  these  manu- 
factures ?  Speak  of  some  noted  buildings  erected  in  New  York  and  Washington.  What  is 
said  about  "  Greater  New  York  "  ?  What  about  its  high  buildings  ?  its  bridges  and  tunnels  ? 
its  new  aqueduct?  What  is  said  of  the  rapid  growth  of  our  cities  ?  How  many  people  of  the 
United  States  now  live  in  cities  ?  What  is  said  about  the  government  of  our  cities  ?  What 
seven  southern  states  have  adopted  new  or  amended  constitutions  ?  How  do  these  constitu- 
tions affect  the  negro  vote  ?  What  about  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  national  Con- 
stitution ?  What  is  said  about  the  constitution  of  South  Dakota  ?  of  Oregon  ?  of  Oklahoma  ? 
What  is  this  new  power  granted  to  the  people  called  ? 

Pages  371-374.  What  is  said  about  the  former  extent  of  the  possessions  of  Spain  in  Amer- 
ica and  in  the  East  ?  What  did  Spain  hold  in  America  almost  as  late  as  the  beginning  of  the 
last  century  ?  What  had  happened  in  less  than  twenty-five  years  afterward  ?  What  were  the 
only  important  islands  Spain  had  left  in  the  West  Indies  ?  Give  an  account  of  the  revolution 
in  Cuba.  What  happened  to  the  battle  ship  Maine  in  1898  ?  What  did  President  McKinley 
say  in  his  message  to  Congress  ?  What  did  Congress  resolve  ?  What  did  Congress  demand 
of  Spain  ?  What  did  Congress  say  about  the  government  of  Cuba  ?  What  about  our  right  to 
act  as  guardians  of  the  liberty  of  the  Cuban  people  ? 

The  War  with  Spain,  1898 

Pages  374-382.  How  many  volunteers  did  the  President  call  for?  How  much  money  did 
the  national  government  borrow  from  the  people  ?  How  much  money  was  raised  by  taxation  ? 
What  is  said  about  our  navy  ?  Having  made  all  these  preparations,  what  did  Congress  do 
next  ?  Describe  the  battle  of  Manila.  What  is  said  about  Cervera's  seven  battle  ships  ?  Where 
did  Commodore  Schley  discover  them  ?  What  did  he  say  ?  Describe  the  land  battles  near 
Santiago.  Give  an  account  of  what  happened  to  Cervera's  battle  ships.  What  effect  did 
Cervera's  defeat  have  on  the  war  ?  Meanwhile  what  occurred  at  Manila  ?  How  did  we  come 
into  possession  of  Hawaii?  In  what  year  did  we  obtain  the  Samoan  Islands?  What  is  said 
of  a  number  of  other  small  islands  in  the  Pacific  ?  When  was  the  final  treaty  of  peace  with 
Spain  signed  ?  What  were  the  three  terms  of  that  treaty?  What  discussion  took  place  in  the 
Senate  in  regard  to  ratifying  the  treaty  and  taking  possession  of  the  Philippines  ?  What 
action  did  the  Senate  finally  take  ?  What  were  the  seven  great  steps  of  our  national  territorial 
expansion  from  1803  to  1898  ?  How  many  square  miles  of  territory  have  we  added  to  the 
United  States  in  less  than  a  century  ? 

Pages  382-385.  What  is  said  about  the  insurrection  in  the  Philippines  ?  What  is  said 
about  the  condition  of  the  islands  ?  What  is  said  about  Cuba  ?  When  we  recognized  the  new 
republic  of  Cuba,  what  condition  did  we  insist  upon  ?  What  did  we  do  when  an  insurrection 
broke  out  in  Cuba  in  1906  ?  What  is  said  of  the  cost  of  the  war  with  Spain  in  money  and 
life  ?  What  is  said  of  the  effect  of  the  war  on  the  Union  and  the  Confederate  veterans  ?  What 
about  the  "  Red  Cross  Society  "  and  the  women  of  America  ?  Speak  of  the  "  Trans-Missis- 
sippi Exposition."  What  can  you  say  about  the  M  Great  American  Desert "  ?  What  is  that 
region  called  now  r*  Speak  of  the  Homestead  Act  and  its  effects.  What  about  agricultural 
colleges  ?  What  is  said  about  the  prosperity  of  American  farmers  and  planters  ?  What  could 
they  have  paid  out  of  a  single  year's  profits  ? 

Pages  385-390.  Speak  of  the  destruction  of  our  forests.  What  is  the  total  forest  area  of 
the  United  States  ?  What  demands  are  being  made  upomour  forests  ?  At  our  present  rate 
of  use,  how  long  will  they  probably  hold  out  ?  What  are  the  nation  and  the  states  doing  to 
preserve  them  and  the  streams  which  rise  in  them  ?  What  is  said  about  the  savings  banks  of 
the  United  States  ?  What  about  the  total  wealth  of  the  nation  ?  What  about  gifts  for  the 
public  good  ?  What  is  meant  by  the  "  open  door"  in  China?  What  about  the  Hague  Peace 
Conference  Treaty  or  Agreement?  What  very  important  act  did  Congress  pass  in  1900? 
Speak  of  the  Panama  Canal.  Why  do  we  need  the  canal?  What  is  said  of  the  census  of 
1900  ?  What  of  our  foreign  trade  ?  What  was  the  Pan-American  Exposition  ?  What  terrible 
murder  was  committed  there  in  the  autumn  of  190 1  ?  Who  then  became  President? 


lvi  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  President,  Republican  (1901-1905) 

Pages  390-392-  Give  an  account  of  the  great  coal  strike  of  1902.  How  was  it  finally  settled  ? 
What  is  said  about  the  Pacific  telegraph  cable?  What  message  did  President  Roosevelt 
send  to  King  Edward  of  England  in  1903  ?  What  is  said  about  that  message  ?  What  exposi- 
tion was  opened  at  St.  Louis  in  1904  ?  What  did  it  commemorate  ?  What  did  the  exposition 
at  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1905,  celebrate? 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  President,  Republican  (1905-1909) 

Pages  393-396.  What  did  President  Roosevelt  say  in  his  inaugural  address  about  two 
things  we  should  all  resolve  to  do?  What  did  Franklin  say  about  time?  How  are  Amer- 
icans working  to  save  it?  How  are  we  trying  to  save  health?  Speak  of  our  city  parks 
and  of  our  national  parks.  What  are  we  trying  to  do  about  our  land,  our  forests,  our  coal  and 
iron  mines,  our  oil  fields,  our  natural  gas,  and  the  streams  of  our  country?  What  is  the 
national  government  doing  to  help  farmers  ?  What  meeting  of  great  importance  was  held 
in  Washington  in  1908  ?  How  are  we  trying  to  save  men  from  some  of  the  wear  and  tear 
of  human  life  ?  What  are  we  trying  to  do  about  foolish  and  hasty  wars  ?  On  what  side  has 
the  influence  of  America  generally  been  ?  What  is  said  about  the  arbitration  of  national 
disputes  ?    What  is  said  about  the  children  in  our  public  schools  ? 

Pages  396-400.  What  is  said  about  the  way  in  which  Americans  meet  great  disasters  ? 
Mention  some  of  these  disasters.  What  is  said  about  the  California  earthquake  and  fire  ? 
What  about  the  panic  of  1907  ?  What  state  was  admitted  in  1907  ?  What  is  the  total  number  of 
states  now  ?  What  three  important  bills  did  Congress  pass  ?  Describe  the  cruise  of  our  war 
ships  around  the  world  in  1907.  What  was  the  result  of  the  Presidential  election  in  November, 
1908  ?   What  agreement  did  the  Secretary  of  State  make  with  the  Japanese  minister  in  1908  ? 

William  H.  Taft,  President,  Republican  (1909-1913) 

Pages  399-405.  What  remarkable  geographical  discovery  was  made  in  1909  ?  What  is  said 
of  the  Tariff  of  1909  ?  What  about  the  census  of  19 10  ?  Speak  of  the  national  food  supply  ; 
national  wealth.-  What  is  said  about  electric  railways  ?  What  about  automobiles  ?  What 
about  the  Panama  Canal?  Give  some  account  of  the  Peace  Movement.  What  is  said  about 
preparation  for  future  wars  ?  What  does  the  Japanese  ambassador  think  about  such  contests  ? 
What  two  states  were  admitted  in  1912  ?  How  many  states  have  we  now?  What  is  said 
about  our  flag  ?  What  was  the  result  of  the  Presidential  election  of  191 2  ?  What  is  said  about 
the  growth  of  the  American  nation?  What  about  the  population  of  the  republic?  What 
about  its  extent  ?  What  is  said  about  our  advantages  ?  What  do  these  facts  prove  ?  What  ques- 
tion should  every  American  ask  himself  ?  What  depends  on  the  way  in  which  we  answer 
this  question? 


3£ 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS   FOR  THE  BLACKBOARD 

\The  figures  refer  to  the  numbered  sections^ 

Note.  The  most  important  dates  are  uninclosed  ;  those  given  in  parentheses  are  inserted 
simply  to  enable  the  pupil  to  follow  the  general  chronological  order  of  events. 

The  Discovery  and  Naming  of  America  (1000-1522) 


The  Northmen 

(1000) 


Geographical 
knowledge 


C: 


Who  were  they  ? 

Iceland. 

Greenland. 

"  Leif  the  Lucky." 

Vinland  (1000). 

Results  of  the  discovery  of  America  by  the  Northmen. 

Ideas  about  the  earth  when  Columbus  was  born. 
The  "  Sea  of  Darkness." 


Columbus,  1492 


Birth  of  Columbus. 

He  probably  never  heard  of  Vinland. 

What  he  wished  to  do. 

Marco  Polo's  book. 

First  reason  why  Columbus  wished  to  go  to  the  Indies. 

His  second  reason  for  wishing  to  go  there. 

Trade  with  the  Indies.    (Genoa ;  Venice.) 

Portuguese  voyages ;  Results. 

Plan  of  Columbus.    (How  far  right,  how  far  wrong.) 

He  seeks  assistance. 

He  sails,   1492.     Vessels ;    Canary   Islands ;    equipment  for  the 

voyage. 
Incidents  of  the  voyage.    (Compass  ;  crew  ;  birds.) 
Land  1  1492.    (The  West  Indies  ;  the  Indians.) 
Return.    Letter  of  Columbus  ;  division  of  the  world. 
Disappointment  of  Spain.    (Columbus  in  chains.) 
Death  of  Columbus.   What  he  had  accomplished. 


The  Cabots,  1497 


John  and  "\ 

Sebastian  /  what  they  discovered  in  1497. 

Henry  VII's  notebook. 

England's  claim  to  America. 


Origin  of  the  f  15.  Amerigo  Vespucci. 

name  "Amer-        «   15.  What  happened  in  1507. 

ica,"  1507  I  I5-  Did  Amerigo  Vespucci  deserve  the  honor  he  received? 

Ivii 


lviii 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Discoveries 
concerning 
America 


What  people  thought  of  America. 

What  Magellan  discovered  about  America  (15 19-1522). 

How  Europe  felt  about  his  discovery. 

Summary  of  the  section. 


Attempts  at  Exploring  and  Colonizing  America 


Ponce  de  Leon 

Balboa 

French 
explorations 

New  attempts 
the  Spaniards 


( 1 509-1 600) 
18.  Discovers  and  names  Florida  (15 13). 


J  19.  Discovers  the   "South  Sea"  (15 13).    (Cortez  proposes  a  canal 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  (15 19).) 

20.  The  King  of  France;  Carder  on  the  St.  Lawrence  (1535). 


-{ 


The  French 
(Huguenots)  and 
the  Spaniards 

English  explo- 
rations and 
attempts  at 
settlement,  1585 


America  and 
the  Indians 


Effects  of  the 
discovery  of 
America  on 
Europe 


De  Soto's  expedition  (1539). 
Coronado's  expedition  (1540). 

23.  The  Huguenots  (1562). 

23.  Menendez;  St.  Augustine  (1565). 

24.  De  Gourgues.    (Results  of  the  struggle  between  the  French  and 

the  Spaniards.) 

25.  Frobisher;  Davis. 

25.  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert;  Drake  (1577-1580). 

26.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  expedition  (1584). 

27.  Raleigh's  first  colony,  1585.    (The  new  "  root"  ;  the  new  weed.) 

28.  Raleigh's  second  colony  (1587). 

L  29.  Results  of  the  Spanish,  French,  and  English  attempts  up  to  1600. 

30.  What  America  was  found  to  be  ;  physical  geography.    (Climate, 

soil,   crops ;    healthfulness ;    superiority  to   Europe ;    natural 
-wealth  ;  what  Gladstone  said.) 

31.  The  Indian  population. 

32.  Personal  appearance  of  the  Indians.    (The  scalp  lock.) 

33.  How  they  lived. 

34.  Their  work.   (The  moccasin  ;  the  snowshoe  ;  the  birch-bark  canoe.) 

35.  Government  of  tribes  ;  "wampum." 

36.  Social  condition  ;  customs  ;  "  totems." 

37.  Religion ;  character. 

38.  Self-control ;  torture  ;  respect  for  courage.    (General  Stark.) 

39.  The   Indian  and  the  white  man;    what  the   Indian  taught  the 

white  man. 

40.  Influence  of  the  Indians  on  the  early  history  of  the  country. 

(The  Iroquois  ;  the  Indian  wars.) 

41.  (1)  Geographical  knowledge. 

41.  (2)  Spain,  Portugal,  France,  and  England. 

41.  (3)  The  precious  metals. 

41.  (4)  Trade  and  navigation. 

41.  (5)  New  products. 

41.  (6)  Sugar,  cotton,  rice,  coffee. 

41.  (7)  Effects  on  men's  minds.    Opportunity. 

42.  Summary  of  the  section.   Spaniards,  French,  English ;  America 

in  1600. 


Effects  of  the  geography  of  America  on  its  history.    See  text  and  map,  pages  42,  43. 


'-fr 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lix 


The  English 

and  the  French 

establish 

permanent 

colonies. 

I.  Virginia, 

1607 


II.  New 

Netherland,  or 
New  York 
(1 61 4).   Settled 
by  Dutch 


III.  New 
Jersey  (1617) 


IV.  Massachu- 
setts (Plym- 
outh Colony, 
1620) 


The  House  of 


Permanent  English  and  French  Settlements  (1607-1763) 

43.  Opening  of  the  17th  century;  the  desire  of  the  English  to  go  to 

Virginia. 
43.  England's  need  of  America ;  the  King  grants  a  charter  to  settle 

Virginia. 

43.  The  London  Company ;  the  Plymouth  Company. 

44.  Articles  of  the  charter  ;  instructions. 

45.  The  London  Company's  colony  sails ;  Captain  John  Smith. 

46.  Jamestown,  1607  ;  condition  of  the  colonists. 

47.  Sufferings  of  the  colonists;  their  search  for  the  Pacific;  Pocahontas. 

48.  Gold  ?    The  French  in  Canada ;  Smith  becomes  governor ;  the 
colonists  resolve  to  abandon  Jamestown. 

49.  Lord  Delaware;  Governor  Dale;  the  great  land  reform.    ("T/iis 
is  mine.") 

50.  Cultivation  of  tobacco  (1612).   Four  effects. 

51.  Virginia  becomes  practically  self-governing,  1619 
Burgesses ;  wives. 

52.  Negro  slaves,  1619  ;  white  "apprentices." 

52.  What  settlements  were  made  at  the  North. 

53.  Virginia  loses  her  charter;   Governor  Berkeley;    Puritans   and 
Cavaliers. 

54.  Berkeley  restored  to  power ;  the  Navigation  Laws ;   the   King 
gives  away  Virginia.    Other  English  colonies. 

55.  Condition  of  the  Virginia  colonists ;  the  Indian  war;  the  Bacon 
rebellion,  1676  ;  Results. 

k  56.  Summary  of  the  Virginia  colony. 

57.  Henry  Hudson  (1609). 

58.  The  Indians. 

59.  The  Dutch  take   possession  of   New  Netherland   (1614)  ;    the 
English  and  the  French. 

60.  The  Dutch  purchase  Manhattan  Island,  1626. 

61.  The  Patroons  ;  Van  Rensselaer. 

62.  Peter   Stuyvesant ;    New   Amsterdam.    The   English  claim  the 
country;  they  seize  it  (1664). 

63.  Summary  of  New  Netherland,  or  New  York. 

64.  Dutch  claim  ;  English  claim. 

64.  English  get  possession.    Name  New  Jersey. 

65.  The  Friends,  or  Quakers.   Treaty  with  the  Indians;  government 
of  the  colony. 

66.  Summary  of  New  Jersey. 

67.  Lack  of  religious  liberty  in  England.    Catholics,  Puritans,  Sepa- 
ratists. 

68.  Emigration;  the  Separatists,  or  Pilgrims,  go  to  Holland  (1607). 

69.  Why  the  Separatists,  or  Pilgrims,  resolved  to  leave  Holland  for 
America. 

70.  Where  they  intended  to  settle ;  how  they  got  assistance. 

71.  The  Pilgrims  sail  in  the  Mayflower;  Myles  Standish. 

72.  Cape  Cod  ;  the  Compact. 

73.  Exploring  the  coast ;  Plymouth  Rock,  1620.   The  first  winter 

74.  Governor  Bradford  ;  Town  meeting ;  treaty  with  the  Indians. 

75.  The  Pilgrims  buy  out  the  English  Company.    Growth   of  the 
colony;  what  made  the  Pilgrims  great. 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


'   76 

77 

78 

79 

IV.  Massachu- 
setts (Massa- 
chusetts Bay 
Colony,  1630) 

80. 

81. 
82. 
83. 

/ 

84. 
85. 
86. 
87. 
88. 

1  89. 

V.  New  Hamp- 
shire (1623) 

90. 
91. 

92. 

1    93- 

VI.  Connecticut 

(1634) 

'    94. 

95- 
96. 

97- 
98. 

.    99- 

100 

IOI. 

102. 

VII.  Maryland 

(1634) 

103. 
104. 

105. 

.  106 

'  107 

VIII.  Rhode 

Island  (1636) 

108 
109 

..  no. 

Salem ;   Governor   Endicott ;   religious  toleration,  cutting   the 

cross  out  of  the  English  flag. 
Governor  Winthrop  ;  Boston,  1630.    Great  Puritan  emigration  t© 

New  England. 
Government  of  Massachusetts  ;  town  meetings  ;  who  could  vote  ; 

occupations  of  the  people. 
Banishment  of  Roger  Williams  ;  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson  ;  Williams 

and  Massasoit. 
The    Boston   Free    Latin  School  (1635)  ;  Harvard  University, 

1636;  Rev.  John  Eliot;  first  Printing  Press,  1639.   Common- 
school  system  founded,  1647. 
The  New  England  Confederation,  1643:  object;  Results. 
The  coming" of  the  Friends,  or  Quakers. 
Why  it  excited  alarm ;   what  the  Friends  believed,  what  they 

refused  to  do. 
Effect  of  persecution  on  the  Friends. 
What  the  Puritans  of  Massachusetts  did  to  the  Quakers. 
King  Philip's  War,  1675.   Eliot's  Indians  ;  Result  of  the  war. 
The  Salem  witchcraft. 

Massachusetts  loses  her  charter ;  Andros  ;  the  new  charter. 
Summary  of  Plymouth  and  of  Massachusetts  Bay  colonies. 

Grant  to  Gorges  and  Mason  ;  first  settlements. 

Division  of  the  territory ;  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Maine ; 

Exeter. 
Londonderry ;  union  of  New  Hampshire  with  Massachusetts. 

Voting  ;  New  Hampshire  a  royal  province. 
Summary  of  New  Hampshire. 

Emigration  to  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut ;  Hooker's  colony. 
The  Pequot  War. 

The  Connecticut  ^""^'liUtiJP"!  Ifh9[._  nf  what  it  was  the  parent. 
The  New  Haven  colony  ;  Scripture  laws. 

The  Regicides  ;  Davenport's  sermon  ;  Andros  and  the  Connect- 
icut charter. 
Summary  of  Connecticut. 

The  Catholic  Pilgrims  ;  Lord  Baltimore  ;  Maryland. 

St.  Marys;  the  wigwam  church  (1634). 

Government  of  the  colony ;  religious  freedom ;  the  Toleration 

Act,  1649. 
Clayborr^  grid  Tngjp  ;..what  the  English   commissioners  did; 

how  the  Assembly  or  Legislature  treated  Lord  Baltimore. 
Lord    Baltimore  restored   to  his   rights ;   Maryland   loses  her 

charter. 
Establishment  of  the  Church  of  England ;  Maryland  restored 

to  Lord  Baltimore;  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  (1761-1767). 
Summary  of  Maryland. 

Roger   Williams ;   Providence ;   the    first    Baptist    church    in 

America  (1639). 
Liberty  of  conscience,  1636.   The  Constitution  of  the  United 

States. 
Settlement  of  the  island  of  Rhode  Island ;  the  charter ;  Rhode 

Island  and  the  Revolution. 
Summary  of  Rhode  Island. 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lxi 


IX.  New 
Sweden,  or  Del- 
aware (1638) 


X,  XI.  Caro- 
lina (1663) 


XII.  Pennsyl- 
vania (1 681) 


XIII.  Georgia 

(1733) 


The  French  in 
the  West  and 
the  South 

(1669-1718) 


The  wars  of  the 
English  with 
the  French 
and  their 
Indian  allies 
(1689-1763) 


in.  The  Swedes  plant  a  colony;  the  Dutch  seize  it. 

112.  The   English   take   the   country.    William   Penn ;  the   "Terri- 
tories " ;  Delaware  the  first  state  to  ratify  the  national  Consti- 
tution (1787). 
^  113.  Summary  of  Delaware. 

1 14.  Grant  of  Carolina ;  first  settlements. 

115.  Charleston;  the  Huguenots. 


116. 


117. 


119. 
120. 
121. 
122. 
123. 

124. 

125. 
126. 
127. 

128. 

129. 

130. 

131- 

132. 

13* 


The  "  Grand  Model "  ;  division  of  the  territory  into  North  and 

South  Carolina  (1712). 
Growth  of  the  two  colonies ;  rice ;  indigo ;  Charleston  shortly 

before  the  Revolution. 
Summary  of  Carolina. 

William  Penn  ;  Pennsylvania;  the  w  Holy  Experiment." 

The  first  emigrants  ;  Penn  at  Newcastle  ;  Philadelphia  (1682). 

The  «  Great  Law  »  (1682). 

The  treaty  with  the  Indians  (1682)  ;  importance  of  Philadelphia. 

Summary  of  Pennsylvania. 

Oglethorpe.    His  three  objects  in  establishing  the  colony  of 

Georgia. 
Savannah ;  silk  culture. 
Four  restrictions  on  the  colony.    Results. 
The  Wesleys  ;  Whitefield ;  removal  of  most  of  the  restrictions  ; 

the  Spaniards  ;  Georgia  (1752)  ;  natural  resources  of  Georgia. 
Summary  of  Georgia. 

French  exploration  of  the  West  (1669)  ;  the  Catholic  mission- 
aries. 
Joliet  and  Marquette  on  the  Mississippi  (1673). 
La  Salle's  expedition  (1679-1682).  The  forts  ;  Louisiana  (1682). 
Mobile;  New  Orleans  (1718). 
What  the  English  held  in  America ;  what  the  French  held. 


War  with  the  French  and  Indians ;  (1)  "  King  William's  War" 
(1689).   Schenectady;  Haverhill;  Acadia. 

(2)  "Queen  Anne's  War"  (1702).    Deerfield  ;  Annapolis;  Nova 
Scotia. 

(3)  "King   George's   War"    (1744);   capture   of    Louisburg. 
Results. 

(4)  The  "  French  and  Indian  War"  (1754)  ;  the  French  forts. 
The  Ohio  Company ;   action   of  the   French ;  Governor   Din- 

widdie's  messenger;  the  name  cut  on  Natural  Bridge. 
Results  of  Washington's  journey. 
The  Albany  Convention  (1754)  ;  Franklin's  snake. 

140.  Braddock's  defeat  (1755)  ;  Washington. 

141.  Acadian  exiles  ;  Pitt  and  victory  ;  Louisburg  ;  Fort  Duquesne  ; 

the  French  driven  back  to  Canada. 
Fall  of  Quebec  (1759)  ;  Pontiac's  conspiracy. 
What  the  war  settled.   France  and  the  West  (1759)  ;  Treaty  of 

1763  ;  what  America  was  to  become  ;  Spain  ;  the  English  flag 

at  the  end  of  1763. 
Four  Results  of  the  four  great  wars  between  the  English  and 

the  French  with  their  Indian  allies  (1689-1763). 


134- 

135- 

136. 
137. 

138. 
"39- 


142 
143 


144. 


lxii 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


General  state  of 
the  country  in 
1763 


145.  The  thirteen  colonies  in  1763.   "Making  roots."   The  popula- 

tion ;  the  country  west  of  the  Alleghenies. 

146.  Language,   religion,   social   rank ;    cities ;   newspapers ;   trade ; 

manufactures  ;  Navigation  Laws  ;  bounties. 

147.  Government  of    the    colonies ;    law.    w  Don't  tread   on   me." 

Unity  of  the  people. 

148.  Farm  life.   (The  houses  ;  the  fires  ;  food  ;  the  store  ;  recreation.) 

149.  City  life  ;  the  Southern  Plantations.  Dress  ;  life  then  and  life  now. 

150.  Travel ;  the  "  Flying  Machine  "  ;  letters  ;  hospitality  ;  severe  laws. 

151.  Education;  books;  Edwards;  Franklin. 

152.  Franklin's  "  key  to  the  clouds  "  ;  what  he  said  about  electricity. 
L  153.  General  summary  of  the  colonial  period. 


The  Revolution;  the  Constitution  (1763-1789) 


The  Revolution. 
(1.  The  colonists 
resist  taxation 
without  repre- 
sentation, 
1764-1775) 


The  Revolution. 
(2.  From  the  be- 
ginning of  the 
war,  1775,  to 
the  Declaration 
of  Independence, 
1776) 


The  Revolution. 
(3.  The  War  of 
Independence, 
from  1776  to 
1777) 


154.  American  commerce;  the  new  King.   What  he  was  and  what 

he  did.    "  Writs  of  Assistance  "  ;  James  Otis. 

155.  The  King  proposes  to  levy  a  direct  tax  on  the  colonies;  object 

of  tax ;  protest  of  the  Americans.    Pitt  and  Burke. 

156.  The  Stamp  Act  proposed. 

157.  The  Act  passed,  1765;  Patrick  Henry;  the  Virginia  Assembly; 

the  Stamp  Aet  Congress ;  destruction  of  the  stamps. 

158.  Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act;  the  Declaratory  Act;  the   Boston 

Massacre ;  the  Gaspee. 

159.  The  new  taxes  (1767)  ;  their  object;  the  colonists  refuse  taxed 

tea ;  the  "  Boston  Tea  Party,"  1773. 

160.  Parliament  closes  the  port  of  Boston.    General  Gage ;  Patrick 

Henry,  —  "We  must  fight."  "Committees  of  Correspond- 
ence "  ;  the  First  Continental  Congress,  1774.  The  three  things 
that  Congress  did ;  Massachusetts ;  John  Hancock ;  volun- 
teers ;  "  minutemen  "  ;  the  spirit  of  liberty  ;  the  Tories. 

161.  Paul  Revere;  Lexington;  Concord,  1775.   "Yankee  Doodle"; 

the  siege  of  Boston. 

162.  The  Second  Continental  Congress,  1775 ;   the  three   things   it 

did.   Ethan  Allen.   Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point. 

163.  Bunker  Hill,  1775.    Franklin's  letter. 

164.  Washington  takes  command  of  the  American  army  (1775)  ;  the 

attack  on  Canada. 

165.  Washington  enters  Boston ;  Fort  Sullivan,  or  Fort  Moultrie. 

166.  The  idea  of  Independence  ;  "  Common  Sense."   The  Hessians. 

167.  The  Declaration  of  Independence,  1776.   The  Liberty  Bell ;  the 

King's  statue.   The  new  nation. 

168.  Summary. 

169.  What  the  British  hoped   to  do  in  New  York;   the  American 

navy ;  privateers. 

1 70.  Washington  at  New  York ;  Fort  Washington  ;  Fort  Lee. 

171.  The  two  armies ;  the  battle  of  Long  Island. 

172.  Washington  retreats  northward;  Nathan  Hale;  Fort  Washing- 

ton ;  the  false-hearted  Lee. 

173.  Fort  Lee  taken;  Washington  retreats  southward,  and  crosses 

the  Delaware.    General  Lee  captured. 

174.  How  Washington  spent  Christmas  night  (1776)  at  Trenton. 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lxiii 


The  Revolution, 
(j.   The  War  of 
Independence, 
from  177b  to  1777) 
—  Continued 


\m 


How   Robert   Morris    spent   New   Year's   morning    (1777)    at 

Philadelphia. 
Cornwallis  outwitted ;  Princeton ;   Morristown.    Lafayette ;  De 

Kalb ;  Steuben. 
Burgoyne's    expedition ;     Herkimer    at    Oriskany ;     Stark    at 

Bennington. 
Howe's  expedition  to  Pennsylvania ;  Brandywine ;  the  British 

enter  Philadelphia ;  Germantown  ;  Valley  Forge. 
The  Turning  Point  in  the  Revolution,  at  Saratoga,  1777  ;  "  Stars 

and  Stripes  "  ;  Results  of  victory ;  Franklin  and  Washington. 
180.  Summary. 


76. 


177. 


178. 


179. 


The  Revolution. 
(4.  The  War  of 
Independence, 
from  1777  to 
1781) 


181.  The  winter  at  Valley  Forge  ;  England's  offer  (1778). 

182.  Monmouth;  Lee;   Indian  massacres;  Clark's  victories  in  the 

West. 

183.  The  war  in  the  South  ;  Savannah ;  Wayne's  victory;  Paul  Jones. 

184.  Charleston;  Marion  and  Sumter. 

185.  Our  defeat  at  Camden. 

185.  Our  victory  at  King's  Mountain. 

186.  Arnold's  treason  (1780). 

186.  The  terrible  winter  at  Morristown. 

187.  General   Greene    ^781)  ;    Cowpens ;    Greene's   retreat;    Mrs. 

Steele ;  Guilford  Court  House ;  Cornwallis. 

188.  Greene's  victories  in  South  Carolina;  Washington  and  Greene. 

189.  The   Crowning  Victory  of  the  War,  1781.    Lafayette;  Wash- 

ington's plan  ;   Robert  Morris  again  ;   the  siege  of  Yorktown ; 
"  The  World  's  Upside  Down  "  ;  Lord  North. 

190.  Summary  of  the  Revolution. 


After  the 
Revolution 

(1783-1787) 


George  I  IPs  speech ;  the  Treaty  of  Peace,  1783.   John  Adams. 
Condition  of  the  United  States ;  the  Articles  of  Confederation 

of  1781 ;  what  they  accomplished. 
Distress  of  the  country.    (Debt ;  paper  money  ;  quarrels  of  the 

states  ;  no  freedom  of  trade.) 
194.  ■  Shays'  Rebellion." 

The   Northwest  Territory.    The   Ordinance  of  1787 ;  how  the 

Northwest  Territory  helped  to  keep  the  Union  together. 


191 

192 


193. 


195. 


The  formation 
and  adoption  of 
the  Constitution, 
1787-1789 


196.  The  Convention  of  1787 ;  the  Articles  of  Confederation  are  set 
aside  ;  the  Constitution  ;  the  three  Compromises,  1787. 

196.  "  We  the  people  "  ;  Alexander  Hamilton  ;  the  "  Ship  of  State." 

197.  Six  things   accomplished   by  the   Constitution  ;   the  "  Bill   of 

Rights  "  ;  later  Amendments. 

198.  Summary.    (What  John  Adams  said.) 


The  Union;  National  Development  (1789-1861) 


The  Federalist 
party  in  power 

(1789-1801) 


( Washington.  Seepage  118  (and  note) ,  also  sections  on  the  Revolution?) 

r99.  Federalists  and  Anti-Federalists  ;  election  of  the  first  President 

(r788)  ;  the  national  capital ;  inauguration  of  Washington,  1789. 

200.  Washington's  cabinet ;  how  the  government  raised  money,  1789. 

201.  Payment  of  three  great  debts.   Hamilton. 


lxiv 


LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


TJie  Federalalist 
party  in  power 
(1789-1801). 

—  Continued 


Washington's 
administration. 
(Two  terms, 
1789-1797) 


II 

John  Adams' 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1797-1801) 


III 

The  Demo- 
cratic-Repub- 
lican or  Demo- 
cratic party  in 
power  (1801- 
1841) 

Jefferson's 
administration. 
(Two  terms, 
1801-1809) 


IV 

Madison's 
administration. 
(Two  terms, 
1809-1817) 


202.  The  first  census,  1790 ;  the  "  Federal  Ratio  " ;  the  first  United 

States  Bank,  1791 ;  the  Mint ;  Decimal  Coinage. 

203.  Rise  of  regular  Political  Parties,  1792  ;  "  Citizen  "  Genet ;  Wash- 

ington's Proclamation  of  Neutrality,  1793. 

204.  Emigration  to  the  West.    Boone;  Marietta;  Cincinnati  (1790). 

The  first  western  newspaper  (1793).   War  with  the  Indians 
and  results. 

205.  The  manufacture  of  cotton;  the  Cotton  Gin,  1793,  and  its  four 

Results. 

206.  The  Whisky  Rebellion  ;  treaty  with  Spain. 

207.  Jay's  Treaty,  1795 ;  newspapers  attack  Washington ;  three  new 

states. 

208.  Summary  of  Washington's  presidency. 

(Sketch  of  John  Adams.   See  note  i,p.  188.) 

209.  Trouble  with  France ;  the  "  X.  Y.  Z.  Papers."    Pinckney's  de- 

fiant words  ;  war ;  "  Hail  Columbia." 

210.  The  Alien  and  the  Sedition  Laws;  the  Kentucky  and  the  Vir- 

ginia Resolutions  (1 798-1 799)  ;  Death  of  Washington. 

211.  Summary  of  John  Adams'  presidency. 

(Jefferson.   See  note  2,  p.  iqi.) 

212.  Republican   simplicity;   the   new  national   capitol;  Jefferson's 

appointments  to  office. 

213.  Probable  extent  of  the  republic.   Means  of  travel. 

214.  The  pirates  of  Tripoli;  "If  you  make  yourself  a  sheep,  the 

wolves  will  eat  you  "  ;  war,  the  Navy  ;  Results. 

215.  Purchase  of  Louisiana,  1803;  four  Results. 

216.  Lewis  and  Clark.    Oregon;  John  Jacob  Astor. 

217.  War  between    France   and    England;   the   Leopard  and    the 

Chesapeake  (1807). 

218.  The  Embargo  (1807)  ;  the  Non-Intercourse  Act  (1809). 

219.  Aaron  Burr. 

220.  "  Fulton's  Folly,"    1807.    Western   steamboats ;   the   Savannah, 

1819;  first  regular  line  of  ocean  steamers  (1840). 

221.  Importation  of  slaves  forbidden,  1808.   Jefferson  and  slavery. 

222.  Summary  of  Jefferson's  presidency. 

(Madison.   See  note  i,p.  igg.) 

223.  Trade  reopened  with  Great  Britain. 

224.  How  Napoleon  deceived  us. 

225.  Tecumseh's  conspiracy  ;  Tippecanoe  (1811). 

226.  The  Henry  Letters  ;  the  real,  final  cause  of  the  War  of  1812. 

227.  General  Hull;  Detroit 

228.  The  English  navy  compared  with  the  American  ;  the  Constitu- 

tion and  the  Gturriere. 

229.  Perry's  victory.    His  dispatch  to  General  Harrison. 

230.  General  Jacksoa  and  the  Indians  ;  Tohopeka.    Result. 

231.  Chippewa;  Luady's  Lane;  burning  of  Washington. 

232.  Maodonough's  victory ;    Fort  McHenry.   The  "  Star-Spangled 

Banner." 

233.  Jackson  at  New  Orleans  (1815) ;  end  of  the  war;  the  Hartford 

Convention  ;  the  treaty  of  peace. 

234.  Four  Chief  Results  of  the  War  of  1812. 

235.  Summary  of  Madison's  presidency. 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lxv 


V 

Monroe's 
administration. 
(Two  terms, 
1817-1825) 


240. 


241. 


{Monroe.    See  p.  2oq*tnd note  1.) 

236.  The  President's  inauguration. 

237.  His  journey ;  the  "  Era  of  Good  Feeling." 

238.  First  Seminole  War ;  purchase  of  Florida,  1819. 

239.  Question  of  the  western  extension  of  slavery ;  what  Jefferson 

said. 
Change  of  feeling  about  Slavery ;  the  North  and  the  South ; 

effect  of  the  Cotton  Gin. 
How   Slavery  divided    the   country   in  regard    to   trade   with 

Europe ;  slavery  and  the  tariff. 

242.  Why  the  North  opposed  the  extension  of  Slavery  west  of  the 

Mississippi ;  why  the  South  demanded  it. 

243.  The  great  Missouri  Compromise,  1820. 

244,245.  Desire  to  reach  the  West;  the  "National  Road"  (181 1- 
1830).  Henry  Clay;  traffic  over  the  Road.  Emigrants  going 
west. 

246.  The  Monroe  Doctrine.   "  America  for  Americans,"  1833. 

247.  Visit  of  Lafayette  ;  what  Congress  did  ;  his  statue  in  Paris. 

248.  Summary  of  Monroe's  presidency. 


VI 

John  Quincy 
Adams' 

administration. 
(One  term, 
1 825-1 829) 


{John  Quincy  Adams.   See  note  i,p.  2iq.) 

249-251.  The  Erie  CanaJ,  1835  ;  Results  ;  enlargement  of  the  canal. 

252-255.  "  Steam  Wagons  "  ;  the  first  American  locomotive,  1830 ;  the 

race  ;  Railways  and  their  Results. 
256,257.  The  Temperance  cause ;  prohibition;  results. 
258.  Summary  of  John  Quincy  Adams'  presidency. 


The  New 
Democracy 

VII 

Jackson's 
administration. 
(Two  terms, 
1829-1837) 


{Jackson.   See  p.  22b  and  note  2.) 

259,260,261.  "The  People's  President";  Jackson's  character;  re- 
moval of  government  officers.  Jefferson's  rule  ;  the  M  Spoils 
System." 

262-264.  Garrison ;  Channing  ;  the  Anti-Slavery  movement ;  John 
Quincy  Adams. 

265.  Jackson  and  the  second  United  States  Bank,  1832. 

266.  South  Carolina  resists  the  duty  on  imported  goods. 

267-269.  Calhoun ;  nullification,  1832.  Webster ;  Jackson's  course 
of  action;  Henry  Clay's  compromise  tariff  (1833). 

270.  Growth  of  the  country ;   railways ;   steamboats ;   canals ;   coal ; 

the  Express  system  (1839). 

271.  Indian  wars;  the  West;  Chicago  (1833). 

272.  American  art,  books,  and  newspapers. 

273.  Henry  Clay  and  the  Whigs. 

274.  Summary  of  Jackson's  presidency. 


VIII 
Van  Buren's 
administration. 
(One  Term, 
1837-1841) 


{Van  Buren.   See  note  /, /.  2jg.) 

275,  276.  Business  failure  and  panic,  1837.   Three  chief  causes. 

277.  The  Independent  Treasury  and  the  subtreasuries. 

278,  279.  The  Mormons  ;  Nauvoo  ;  Utah  ;  Irrigation. 

280.  Emigration  to  the  United  States ;  restrictions  on  immigration ; 

"  Come  in  !  "  "  Keep  out !  "  Ocean  steamships  and  American 
"  clipper  ships  "  (1840). 

281.  Summary  of  Van  Buren's  presidency 


lxvi 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


IX,  X 

A  new  party, 
the  Whigs,  in 
power 
(1841-1845) 

Harrison  and 
Tyler's  admin- 
istrations. 
(One  term, 
1841-1845) 

XI 

The  Democrats 
again  in  power 
(1845-1849) 

Polk's 

administration. 
(One  term, 
1845-1849) 


{Harrison  and  Tyler.  See  note  i,p.  244,  and  notes  /,  2,  and 3, p.  243.) 
28.2.  Election  of  Harrison  ;  "  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too  "  ;  Harrison's 
death  ;  Tyler  and  the  Whig  Congress. 

283.  The  Dorr  Rebellion ;  The  Webster- Ashburton  Treaty  (1842)  ; 

Anti-renters. 

284.  The  Electric  Telegraph,  1844 ;  Wireless  Telegraphy.    Dr.  Mor- 

ton's Discovery,  1846. 

285.  Annexation  of  Texas,  1845. 

286.  Summary  of  Harrison  and  Tyler's  presidencies. 


{Polk.   See  note  /,  /.  250.) 

287-289.  The  Oregon  question;  Dr.  Whitman;  "Fifty-four-forty, 
or  fight!"   Treaty  with  England  (1846). 

290-294.  The  Mexican  War ;  Palo  Alto  ;  Resaca  de  la  Palma ;  Declara- 
tion of  War,  1846.  Monterey ;  Buena  Vista ;  California ;  New 
Mexico ;  General  Scott ;  Vera  Cruz ;  Cerro  Gordo ;  the  City 
of  Mexico  ;  Results  of  the  war ;  the  "  Gadsden  Purchase." 

295,  296.  Discovery  of  Gold  in  California,  1848.  Emigration;  Vigi- 
lance Committee ;   Results  of  the  discovery  of  gold. 

297.  Summary  of  Polk's  presidency. 


XII,  XIII 
The  Whigs  again 
in  power 
(1849-1853) 

Taylor  and 
Fillmore's  ad- 
ministrations. 
(One  term, 
(1849-1853) 


( Taylor  and  Fillmore.    See  note  7,  p.  238.) 

298.  The  question  of  the  extension  of  Slavery.  The  North  and  the 
South. 
The  Wilmot  Proviso.  Three  methods  of  settlement  of  the 
Slavery-extension  question  proposed ;  danger  of  disunion ; 
Clay's  Compromise  Measures  of  1850 ;  a  new  Fugitive-Slave 
Law  proposed. 
Passage  of  the  Fugitive-Slave  Law;  Results  ;  Seward's  "Higher 
Law  "  ;  the  "  Underground  Railroad." 

301.  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  ;  Charles  Sumner  and  Jefferson  Davis. 

302.  Summary  of  Taylor  and  Fillmore's  presidencies. 


299. 


300. 


XIV 
The  Democrats 
again  in  power 
(1853-1861) 

Pierce's 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1853-1857) 


{Pierce.   See  note  /,  p.  262.) 

303.  The  World's  Fair  (1853)  ;  four  American  labor-saving  machines. 

304.  Commodore  Perry  and  Japan. 

305.  The  Kansas-Nebraska  Act,  1854.    Stephen  A.  Douglas.    Rise  of 

the  modern  Republican  party  (1856). 
306-308.  The  struggle  for  the  possession  of  Kansas ;  rival  govern- 
ments ;    civil  war  in    Kansas ;    attack  on   Lawrence ;  John 
Brown ;  assault  on  Sumner. 
L.  309.  Summary  of  Pierce's  presidency. 


XV 

Buchanan's 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1857-1861) 


{Buchanan.   See  note  7,  /.  268.) 


3!°: 


312. 
313' 


3M' 


311.  The   Dred  Scott  Case;   decision  of  the  Supreme  Court, 

1857;  Results. 
Business  panic  (1857).    Causes. 
Discovery  of  Silver  and  Petroleum  (1859)  ;  pipe  hnes  ;  Standard 

Oil  Company ;  natural  gas. 
John  Brown's  raid  into  Virginia  (1859). 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lxvii 


Buchanan's 
administration 
—  Continued 


315.  Abraham  Lincoln  elected  President;  secession  of  South  Caro- 

lina, i860. 

316.  Secession  of  six  other  states;  formation  of  the  "  Confederate 

States  of  America." 

317.  Why  the  South  seceded;    seizure   of  national  property;   the 

Star  of  the  West. 

318.  General  summary  from  Washington  to  Buchanan:    1.  Popula- 

tion ;  2.  Wealth  ;  3.  Territorial  growth  ;  4.  Cities,  railways,  and 
telegraph  ;  growth  of  the  West.  5.  Disunion  :  its  cause  ;  what 
must  be  done ;  Slavery  vs.  Freedom ;  what  the  triumph  of 
Freedom  would  mean. 


(First  year  of  the 
war,  1861-1862) 


(Second  year  of  the 
war,  1862-1863) 

XVI 

A  new  party, 
the  Republicans, 
in  power 

(1861-1885) 

Lincoln's 
administration. 
(One  term  and 
part  of  second, 
1861-1865) 

(Third  year  of  the 
war,  1 863-1 864) 


The  Civil  War  (April,  1861,  to  April,  1865) 


(Lincoln.   See  note  2,f.  273,  and  note  2,  p.  280.) 

319.  Lincoln's  arrival  at  Washington ;   Inaugural  address:  Slavery; 

the  Union.   Feeling  at  the  North. 

320.  Major  Anderson  ;  Fort  Sumter;  the  Civil  War  begins,  1861. 

321.  President   Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers;    Results:    North  vs. 

South. 

322.  Secession  of  four  more  states  ;  General  Butler's  "  Contrabands." 

323.  Condition  of  the  North  and  the  South.   The  three  advantages 

of  the  North ;  the  four  of  the  South ;  what  General  Grant 
thought. 

324.  Four  ways  of  raising  money  to  carry  on  the  War  for  the  Union  ; 

National  Banks. 

325.  Number  and  position  of  the  two  armies. 
326-327.  Battle  of  Bull  Run ;  Results. 

328.  Union  plan  of  the  War. 

329.  Blockade  runners  ;  Confederate  war  vessels  ;  Mason  and  Slidell. 

330.  The  Merrimac ;  the  Monitor. 

331.  The  war  in  the  West;  Fort  Henry;  Grant  and  Fort  Donelson. 

332.  Pittsburg  Landing ;  Island  Number  Ten. 
Summary  of  the  first  year  of  the  war  (April,  186 1,  to  April,  1862). 
Second  year  of  the  war ;  Expedition  against  New  Orleans. 
Bombardment  of  the  forts  ;  Farragut  captures  New  Orleans. 
The  war  in  Virginia ;  McClellan's  advance  on  Richmond ;  the 

Peninsular  Campaign  ;  the  weather. 
"  Stonewall "  Jackson's  raid  ;  Stuart ;  Results  of  the  Peninsular 

Campaign. 
Second  battle  of  Bull  Run  ;  Lee's  advance  across  the  Potomac  ; 

Antietam. 
Battles  of  Fredericksburg  and  Murfreesboro. 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  1863 ;  Results.  The  Thirteenth 

Amendment. 
Summary  of  the  second  year  of  the  war  (April,  1862,  to  April, 

1863). 
Third  year  of  the  war ;  Chancellorsville. 
Gettysburg  (Pickett's  charge),  1863. 

Vicksburg  ("Rally  round  the  flag,  boys"),  Port  Hudson,  1863. 
Draft  riots;  Morgan's  raid  ;  Chickamauga;  Siege  of  Chattanooga. 
Lookout   Mountain   and  Missionary  Ridge;  Meridian;  Grant 

made  General  in  Chief. 
347.  Summary  of  the  third  year  of  the  war  (April,  1863,  to  April,  1864). 


333- 
334- 
335- 
336. 

337- 

338. 

339- 

34°- 

34i. 

342. 
343- 
344- 
345- 
346. 


lxviii       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Lincoln's 
administration 
—  Continued 

{Fourth  year  of  the 
war,  1864-1865) 


348.  Fourth  and  last  year  of  the  war ;  Grant  and  Sherman  plan  the 

"Hammering  Campaign"  (Spring  of  1864). 

349.  The  battles  of  the  Wilderness  ;  Petersburg. 

350.  Captain  Winslow  sinks  the  Alabama;  Early's  raid. 

351.  Sheridan's  raid  in  the  Shenandoah  valley. 

352.  The  Petersburg  mine ;  Sheridan's  ride. 

353.  The  war  in  the  West ;  Sherman's  advance  to  Atlanta. 

354.  Sherman  takes  Atlanta ;  Farragut  enters  Mobile  bay. 

355.  Sherman's  March  from  Atlanta  to  the  Sea. 

356.  Thomas  destroys  Hood's  army. 

357.  Sherman  takes  Savannah;  his  Christmas  gift  to  the  President; 

his  advance  northward. 

358.  The  End  of  the  War ;  Anderson  hoists  the  old  flag  over  Sumter; 

what  the  War  cost ;  the  President  assassinated. 

359.  The   North  and  the  South  in  the  War;  the  Sanitary  and  the 

Christian  Commissions ;   what   Grant  said  of  the   Southern 
people. 

360.  Summary  of  the  fourth  and  last  year  of  the  war  (April,  1864,  to 

April,  1865). 


Reconstruction;  the  New  Nation  (1865  to  the  Present  Time) 


XVII 

Johnson's 
administration. 
(Part  of  one 
term,  1 865-1869) 


{Johnson.    See  note  2,  p.  328.) 

361.  Task  of  Reconstruction;  the  Grand  Review;    disbanding  the 

armies. 

362.  The  Three  Things  the  War  settled. 

363.  The  President's  proclamation  of  pardon ;  Contest  between  the 
President  and  Congress. 

Congress  begins  the  Reconstruction  of  the  Southern  States, 

1867.   The  Fourteenth  Amendment. 
Six  states  readmitted  ;  negro  legislators  and  "  carpetbaggers." 
Congress  impeaches  the  President ;  the  President's  proclamation 

of  full  and  unconditional  pardon  ;  the  Fifteenth  Amendment ; 

summary  of  the  last  three  amendments  to  the  Constitution. 
The  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cable  (1866). 

368.  Purchase  of  Alaska,  1867 ;  Reduction  of  the  National  Debt. 

369.  Summary  of  Johnson's  presidency. 


364- 

365. 
366. 


367. 


XVIII 

Grant's 

administration. 
(Two  terms, 
1869-1877) 


{Grant.  See  note  2,  /.  292,  section  on  the  Civil  War,  and  note  1, 
p.  33b.) 

370-371.  The  Pacific  Railway;  what  Railways  and  Telegraphs  have 
done  for  the  Union;  effect  of  the  Pacific  Railway  on  com- 
merce with  Asia  and  on  the  growth  of  the  Far  West ;  liberal 
land  laws ;  the  Homestead  Act  and  effects ;  Western  cities 
and  farms. 

372.  Completion  of  Reconstruction  (1870);  the  "Force  Bill";  the 
negro  ;  the  Weather  Bureau  ;  great  fires  ;  "  Boss  "  Tweed. 

y]2>.  The  new  Coinage  Act  (1873)  5  the  Business  Panic  (1873)  5  tne 
Centennial  Exhibition  (1876)  ;  the  Electric  Light;  the  Tele- 
phone ;  Automobiles  and  Flying  Machines. 

374.  Treaty  with  Great  Britain  (1871)  ;  the  Alabama;  Indian  wars. 

375.  The  Disputed  Presidential  Election  (1876). 

376.  Summary  of  Grant's  presidency, 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lxix 


XIX 

Hayes' 

administration. 
(One  term, 
1877-1881) 


{Hayes.   See  note  2,  p.  345.) 

277.  Withdrawal  of  troops  from   the  South ;    first  Historic  Labor 
Strike  (1877). 

378.  Deepening  the  chief  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.    Results. 

379.  The  Bland  Silver  Bill ;  the  President's  veto  ;  the  "  Dollar  of  our 

Fathers"    restored   (1878);   "Greenbacks"   and    Gold;    the 
National  Debt. 

380.  Summary  of  Hayes'  presidency. 


XX,  XXI 

Garfield  and 
Arthur's  ad- 
ministrations. 
(One  term, 
1881-1885) 


{Garfield  and  Arthur.    See  note  1,  p.  348.) 

381.  Assassination  of  the    President;    Civil   Service   Reform,  1883; 

the  "  Merit  System." 

382.  The  East  River  Suspension  Bridge  ;  other  bridges  and  tunnels  ; 

Cheap  Postage  ;  the  Alien  Contract  Labor  Act. 

383.  The  New  Orleans  Exhibition ;  the  "  New  South." 

384.  385.  Progress  in  the  South  ;   manufactures ;   the  cotton   crop ; 

the  freedmen ;  education. 
(_  386.  Summary  of  Garfield  and  Arthur's  presidencies. 


XXII 
The  Democrats 
again  in  power 

(1885-1889) 

Cleveland's  first 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1885-1889) 


XXIII 

The  Republicans 
again  in  power 

(1889-1893) 

Harrison's 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1889-1893) 

XXIV 

The  Democrats 
again  in  power 

(1893-1897) 

Cleveland's 
(second) 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1893-1897) 


{Cleveland.   See  note  i,p.  334.) 

387.  Return  of  the  Democrats  to  power. 

388.  The  "  Knights  of  Labor  "  ;  the  w  Black  List "  ;  the  «  Boycott "  ; 

the  American  Federation  of  Labor ;  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor ;  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

389.  The  year  of  strikes  ;  the  Chicago  anarchists. 

390.  Great  Corporations  and  "  Trusts  "  ;    department  stores  ;  action 

taken  by  the  government. 

391.  The  Statue  of  Liberty. 

392.  Three  important  laws :  1.  Succession  to  the  Presidency  ;  2.  Count- 

ing the  Electoral  Votes  ;  3.  Interstate  Commerce  and  the  Rail- 
way Rate  Act. 
L  393.  Summary  of  Cleveland's  presidency. 

{Harrison.    See  note  i,p.  33Q.) 

394.  Oklahoma  Territory  opened  (1889).  Oklahoma  City  and  Guthrie. 

395.  Six  new  States  ;  the  New  War  Ships  ;  woman  suffrage  (or  right 

to  vote)  in  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Utah,  and  Idaho. 

396.  The  new  Pension  Act  (1890)  ;  the  Sherman  Silver  Act;  the  fall 

in  silver;  the  McKinley  Protective  Tariff. 

397.  The  census  (1890)  ;  the  Patent  Office  Centennial ;  the  Home- 

stead steel  strike. 

398.  Summary  of  Harrison's  presidency. 

{Cleveland,    second  presidency.     See    note    1,  p.  334,    and  note   1, 
p.  3*3.) 

399.  The  Australian  ballot. 

400.  The  Columbian  Exposition  ;  panic  and  "  hard  times  "  ;  Repeal 

of  an  Important  Act ;  the  Bering  Sea  case,  a  bloodless  victory. 

401.  The   Coxey   "  Industrial   Army " ;   the    Pullman   strike ;   more 

"  hard  times." 

402.  The  Wilson  Tariff. 

403.  The  admission  of  Utah  ;  the  "  New  West." 

404.  The  Venezuela  question. 

405.  Summary  of  Cleveland's  second  presidency. 


lxx  LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


XXV 

The  Republicans 
again  in  power 

(1897-1909) 

McKinley's 
administration. 
(One  term  and 
part  of  second, 
1897-1901) 


XXVI 

Roosevelt's 
administration. 
(Part  of 
one  term, 
1901-1905) 


XXVII 
Roosevelt's 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1 905- 1 909) 


architectural  progress  in 


r  (McKinley.   See  note  1,  p.  366.) 

406.  The  Dingley  Tariff. 

407.  Enormous  increase  in  our  Exports : 

New  York  and  Washington. 

408.  "Greater    New  York";    high   buildings;    the   new  aqueduct; 

Growth  and  Government  of  American  cities. 

409.  Revised  state  constitutions  in  the  South  and  West ;  Effect  on 

negro  suffrage  and  on  the  Fifteenth  Amendment. '  The  initia- 
tive and  referendum  in  the  West. 

410.  Spanish  possessions  in  the  sixteenth  century. 


411. 

412. 

4i3- 
414. 


The  revolution  in  Cuba  ;  war  for  independence. 
The  destruction  of  the  Maine;  report  of  the  Court  of  Inquiry. 
The  President's  message  ;  Resolutions  adopted  by  Congress. 
Preparation  for  War  with  Spain  ;  call  for  volunteers  and  money  • 
the  Navy  ;  War  declared,  1898. 

415.  The  Battle  of  Manila. 

416.  Cervera's  squadron  "bottled  up." 

417.  Fighting  near  Santiago  ;  destruction  of  Cervera's  squadron. 

418.  The  End  of  the  War. 

419.  Annexation  of  Hawaii;  Treaty  of  Peace;  Territory  ceded  to  us 

by  Spain.    Seven  great  steps  of  National  Expansion  (1801- 
1898).    Cuba. 

420.  The   cost  of  the  war  in  money  and   life ;   work  of   the  "  Red 

Cross  "  and  of  the  women  of  America ;  the  Union  veterans 
and  the  Confederate  veterans. 

421.  The    Trans-Mississippi     Exposition;     the    "Great     American 

Desert "  ;    cheap  lands  and  free  lands  ;  agricultural  colleges  • 
Agricultural  Prosperity. 

422.  Preservation  of  our  Forests  ;  Irrigation  of  arid  Lands. 

423.  Savings  Banks  ;  National  Wealth  ;  Gifts  for  the  Public  Good. 

424.  The  "open  door"  in  China;  The  Hague  Peace  Treaty,  1900. 

425.  The  Gold  Standard  Act,  1900;  the  Panama  Canal. 

426.  The  census  (1900)  ;  our  Commerce. 

427.  The  Pan-American  Exposition;  the  assassination  of  President 

McKinley. 


428.  The  great  coal  strike  (1902)  ;  the  American  Pacific  Cable  ;  Wire- 

less Telegraphy  ;  Expositions  in  the  West. 

429.  Summary  of  McKinley  and  Roosevelt's  presidencies. 


{Roosevelt.   See  note  i,/.jgj.) 

430.  President  Roosevelt's  inaugural  address.   What  Americans  are 

trying  to  do :  1.  Saving  time,  — the  Panama  Canal,  the  Erie 
Canal,  railways.  2.  Saving  health,  —  national  parks.  3.  Con- 
servation of  our  Natural  Resources.  4.  Saving  wear  and  tear 
of  life,  and  needless  destruction  of  life,  —  arbitration.  How 
Americans  meet  disaster. 

431.  Admission  of  Oklahoma,  — total  number  of  states.   The  Rail- 

way Rate  Act ;   the   Pure  Food  and   Drug  Act ;   the    Meat 
Inspection   Act;    great   cruise   of  our   battle   ships    (1907); 
the  presidential  election  (1908)  ;  important  agreement  with 
Japan. 
^  432.  Summary  of  Roosevelt's  presidency. 


TOPICAL  ANALYSIS 


lxxi 


XXVIII 

Taft's    - 
administration. 
(One  term, 
1909-1913) 


'  {Taft.   See  note  r,/>.jgg.) 

433.  A  great  geographical  discovery,  1909. 

434.  The  Tariff  of  1909. 
Census  of  19 10  ;  population  ;  food  supply  ;  national  wealth  ;  elec- 
tric railways  ;  automobiles  ;  progress  of  the  Panama  Canal. 

The  Peace  Movement;  preparations  for  future  wars;  what  our 
flag  stands  for ;  admission  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona ;  num- 
ber of  states  now  in  the  Union. 

Result  of  the  Presidential  election  of  1912. 

General  Summary  of  the  History:  1.  Growth  of  the  republic; 
extent,  population.  2.  Advantages  open  to  all.  3.  What 
America  means.  4.  The  Great  Question;  what  depends  on 
the  answer. 


435- 


436- 


437- 
438. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


[The  Index  includes  numerous  dates,  and  the  pronunciation  of  difficult  words.  Attention  is 
called  to  the  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  Spanish,  French,  and  other  foreign  names  occurring  in 
American  history  are  now  generally  pronounced  as  in  English.\ 


Abolition  societies,  229.    See  also  Anti-slavery, 
Emancipation,  Garrison,  Slavery,  and  "  Under- 
ground Railroad" 
Abolitionists,  228,  229.   See  also  Slavery 
Acadia  (ah-ka'de-ah),  or  Nova  Scotia,  115 
Acadians  (ah-ka'de-ans)  expelled,  120 
Acts  of  Congress.   See  Laws 
Acts  of  Parliament.   See  Laws 
Adams,  John,  life  of,  188  (note) 

our  first  minister  to  England,  170 

what  George  III  said  to  him,  170 

presidency  of,  188 
Adams,  J..  Q.,  life  of,  219  (note) 

mentioned,  214  (note),  230,  239 

maintains  right  of  petition,  230 

presidency  of,  219 
Adams,  Samuel,  in  the  Revolution,  137,  139,  140, 

142 
Admiral,  title  of,  given,  295  (note),  376 
Adobe  (a-do'ba),  25 
"Aerial  (a-e'ri-al)  Electric  Age,"  344 
TEsop  (e'sop),  273  (note) 
Agricultural  colleges,  384 

machinery  and  implements,  263,  264,  340 
Agriculture,  colonial,  127 

at  the  South,  212,  352,  353 

at  the  West,  113,  264,  339,  340,  365,  383-385, 

395 

See  also  Exports,  Farms,  Irrigation,  Land, 
Resources,  Wealth 
Agriculture,  Department  of,  355,  395 
Aguinaldo  (a-ge-nal'do)  captured,  382 
Air  ships,  343,  344 
Alabama,  Confederate  war  ship,  289 

destroyed,  312 

claims  settled  (1871),  289,  344 
Alaska  purchased  (1867),  334 

products  of,  335 
Albany  Convention  (1754),  119 
Albany,  or  Fort  Orange,  settled  (1623),  59 
Algonquins  (al-gon'quins),  32 
Alien  and  Sedition  Acts  (1798),  189 
Alien  Contract  Labor  Act  (1885),  351.   See  also 

Laws 
Allen,  Ethan,  takes  Ticonderoga  (1775),  144 
Almanac,  Franklin's,  131 
Amendments  to  the  Constitution,  176 

the  first  ten  (1789-1791),  176 

the  Eleventh  (1798),  176  (note) 

the  Twelfth  (1804),  176  (note) 

the  Thirteenth  (1865),  301,  330 

the  Fourteenth  (1868),  331  (and  note) 

the  Fifteenth  (1870),  333,  371 


Amendments  to  the  Constitution, the  last  three,  333 
the,  and  the  negro,  301,  330,  333,  371 
the  Fifteenth  has  now  no  force,  333,  371  [xxiii 
the  Sixteenth  (1913),  on  Income  Tax,  App. 
the  Seventeenth  (1913),  election  of  Senators, 

America  discovered  by  Northmen  (1000),  2   [App. 
discovered  by  Columbus  (1492),  10 
continent  discovered  by  Cabot  (1497),  15 
voyages  of  Vespucci  to  (1499-1503),  16 
origin  of  the  name  (1507),  17 
earliest  map  of  (1507),  19  (note) 
how  found  to  be  a  continent,  18 
white  men  in,  in  1600,  30 
what  it  was  found  to  be,  3 1 
physical  geography  of,  31,  42,  43 
wherein  superior  to  Europe,  31,  32 
new  products  obtained  from,  39 
what  Gladstone  said  about,  32 
effect  of  discovery  of,  on  Europe,  38,  39 

feography  of,  in  relation  to  history,  42,  43 
England's  great  need  of,  41,  72  (note) 
why  English  emigrated  to,  41,  72  (note) 
first  permanent  English  colony  in  (1607),  45 
first  permanent  French  colony  in  (1608),  47 
thought  to  be  less  than  200  miles  wide,  46 
first  law-making  assembly  in  (1619),  50,  52 
first  negro  slaves  brought  to  (1619),  52,  53 
Dutch  settlements  in,  59,  60,  64 
English  settlements  in,  45,  63,  65,  69,  72,  81, 

84,  89,  93,  97,  101,  106 
French  settlements  in,  47 
Spanish  settlements  in,  12,  22,  26,  371 
Swedish  settlements  in,  96 
English  explorations  in,  15,  27,  28,  46 
French  explorations  in,  22 
Spanish  explorations  in,  10-15,  20-26 
struggle  of  the  English,  French,  and  Spanish 

for,  25-27 
the  English  colonies  declare  independence 

(1776),  150 
movement  to  save  natural  resources  of,  393- 

395    ,.~  •     „ 

means  "  Opportunity,"  39,  400 

See  also  Battles,  Colonies,  Constitution,  Po- 
litical   Parties,   Treaties,   Union,   United 
States,  Wars 
"America  for  Americans,"  217 
American  Association  (Revolution),  141 

Federation  of  Labor,  355 
Americans,  what  they  are  doing,  393-396 

what  they  are  trying  to  save,  394-396 

young,  what  they  can  do,  370,  400 
Americas,  the  three,  389 


Note.  In  the  words  pronounced  in  parentheses,  e.g.  Aguinaldo  (a-ge-nal'do),  g  is  always  hard,  as 
in  go;  whenever  soft  g  occurs  it  is  represented  either  by  j  or  by  zh,  e.g.  Magellan  (ma-jel'lan), 
Genet  (zhen-ay').  It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  the  pronunciation  of  a  considerable  number 
of  foreign  names  can  only  be  given  approximately. 

lxxv 


lxxvi       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Amerigo  Vespucci  (a-ma-ree'go  ves-poot'che),  16 
Anarchists  (an'ar-kists),  356 
Anderson,  General  (Civil  War),  277,  281,  325 
Andersonville,  Union  prisoners  in,  325  (note) 
Andre"  (an'dray),  British  spy  (Revolution),  165 
Andros  (an'dros),  Governor(colonial  period),  80, 87 
Annexation  of  territory,  381.   See  also  Territory 

and  Texas 
Antietam  (an-tee'tam),  battle  of,  300.    See  also 

Battles 
Anti- Federalists,  174,  176,  177 
Anti-renters,  246 

Anti-slavery  movement,   107,   198,  228-230,  249 
(and  note),  266,  273.    See  also   Abolitionists, 
Emancipation,  Garrison,  and  Slavery 
Appomattox  (ap-po-mat'tox)  Courthouse,  325 
Apprentices,  white,  in  Virginia  (colonial  period), 

53 
Aqueduct,  Greater  New  York,  369 
Arbitration  settlements  and  treaties,  344,  364,  388, 

396.   See  also  Peace  and  Treaties 
"Arbor  Day,"  386.   See  also  Forests 
Architecture,  American,  368-369 
Arizona,  Grand  Canyon  of,  25  ;  state,  404 
Army,  of  the  Revolution,  141,  143,  144,  146,  153, 
I5b>  1S7>  160,  i6i>  164,  165,  166,  168 

of  War  of  1812,  201,  205,  207 

of  Mexican  War,  252-255 

the  Union  (Civil  War),  283,  285,  286,  289,  298, 
3°8>  325 

Confederate  (Civil  War),  283, 285, 308, 325, 327 

number  and  position  of  both  armies,  286,  287 

strength  of  both  armies,  285,  287  (note) 

review  of  the  Union,  at  end  of  the  war,  329 
(and  note) 

disbanding  the  Union,  328,  329 

disbanding  the  Confederate,  329 

of  war  with  Spain,  374,  377  (and  note),  378, 
,  381,  383 

the,  at  present,  400  (and  note) 

See  also  Battles  and  Wars 
Arnold,  march  of,  to  Quebec  (Revolution),  148 

at  Saratoga,  160 

treason  of,  165 
Art,  American,  237 
Arthur,  C.  A.,  presidency  of,  349 
Articles  of  Confederation  (1781),  170.    See  also 

Confederation 
Ashburton  Treaty  (1842),  246.    See  also  Treaties 
Assassination  of  Lincoln,  325 

of  Garfield,  348 

of  McKinley,  390 
Assistance,  Writs  of  (colonial  period),  135,  137 
"Association,  the  American"  (Revolution),  141 
Astor,  John  J.,  and  the  fur  trade  (181 1),  195  (and 

note) 
Astoria,  195 
Atlanta  (at-lan'ta)  burned  (Civil  War),  318 

a  great  industrial  center,  316,  352 

See  also  Battles  and  the  New  South 
Atlantic,  the  "  Sea  of  Darkness,"  2 
Atlantic  telegraph,  247,  334.   See  also  Telegraph 
Audubon  (awe'du-bon),  naturalist,  238 
Austin,  Stephen  F.,  249 

Australian,  or  secret,  ballot,  363 .  See  also  Suffrage 
Authors,  American,  131,  237.  See  also  Books  and 

Literature 
Automobiles  (aw-to-mo'beels),  343,  344,  402 

Bacon's  rebellion  (colonial  period),  57,  58 

laws  (colonial  period),  57 
Bainbridge,  naval  commander,  193 
Balboa  (bal-bo'ah)  discovers  the  Pacific  (15 13),  21 


Balize  (bal-eeze'),  296 

Ballot,  Australian,  363.    See  also  Suffrage 

Baltimore,  Lord,  89 

Baltimore,  founded  (1729),  92 

in  War  of  1812,  206 
Bancroft,  historian,  238 
Bank,  the  first  United  States  (1791),  180 

the  second  United  States  (1816),  230 

Jackson  vetoes  bill  to  recharter,  230 

Jackson  removes  deposits  from,  230 

the  "  pet  banks,"  230,  240 

worthless  banks,  240 

savings  banks  established  (1816),  386 
deposits  in,  386  (and  note) 

national  banks  established  (1863),  286 

See  also  Money  and  Panics 
Banks,  General  (Union),  298 
Baptists,  forbidden  to  preach  (colonial  period),  75 

first  church  of,  in  America  (1639),  94 
Barry,  Captain  John,  153,  193 
Battles,  Antietam  (an-tee'tam)  (Civil  War),  300 

Atlanta  (at-lan'ta)  (Civil  War),  316,  318 

Ball's  Bluff  (Civil  War),  289  (note) 

Baltimore  (War  of  18 12),  206 

"  Battle  above  the  clouds  "  (Civil  War),  309 

Bennington  (Revolution),  158 

Black   Hawk's,   in  the  West  (Indian  wars, 
1832),  236 

Boston,  siege  of  (Revolution),  143 

Braddock's  defeat  (colonial  wars),  120 

Brandywine  (Revolution),  159 

Buena  Vista  (bwa-na-vees'ta)  (Mexican  War), 
254 

Bull  Run,  1  st  (Civil  War),  287 

Bull  Run,  2d  (Civil  War),  300 

Bunker  Hill  (Revolution),  144 

Camden,  1st  (Revolution),  165 

Camden,  2d  (Revolution),  167 

Cedar  Creek  (Civil  War),  315 

Cerro  Gordo  (Mexican  War),  254 

Chancellorsville  (Civil  War),  302 

Chapul  tepee  (chap-uKte-pek)  (Mexican  War), 
255 

Charleston  (Revolution),  164 

Charleston  (Civil  War),  281,  324 

Chattanooga  (Civil  War),  308 

Cherry  Valley  (Revolution),  163 

Chesapeake  and  Leopard  (War  of  1812),  196 

Chickamauga  (chick-a-maw'ga)  (Civil  War), 
308 

Chippewa  (War  of  181 2),  205 

Churubusco  (chur-u-bus'ko)  (Mexican  War), 
254  (note) 

Clark's,  in  the  West  (Revolution),  163 

Cold  Harbor  (Civil  War),  310 

Concord  (kon'kurd)  (Revolution),  143 

Constitution    and    Guerriere    (gair-re-air') 
(War  of  1812),  202 

Contreras  (con-tra-ras')  (Mexican  War),  254 
(note) 

Corinth  (Civil  War),  300 

Cowpens  (Revolution),  166 

Crown  Point  (Revolution),  144 

Dallas  (Civil  War),  316 

Detroit  (War  of  181 2),  202 

El  Caney  (war  with  Spain),  377 

Eutaw  Springs  (Revolution),  167 

Fair  Oaks  or  Seven  Pines  (Civil  War),  297 

Flamborough  Head  (Revolution),  164 

Fort  Brown  (Mexican  War),  252 

Fort  Donelson  (Civil  War),  292 

Fort  Duquesne  (du-kane')  (colonial  wars) 
120,  121 


INDEX 


lxxvii 


Battles,  Fort  Henry  (Civil  War),  292 
Fort  Lee  (Revolution),  154 
Fort  McAllister  (Civil  War),  321 
Fort  McHenry  (War  of  1812),  206 
Fort  Moultrie  (mole'tre)  (Revolution),  149 
Fort  Necessity  (colonial  wars),  119 
Fort  San  Juan  de  Ulua  (san  wan  da  oo-loo'ah) 

(Mexican  War),  254 
Fort  Sullivan  (Revolution),  149 
Fort  Sumter  (Civil  War),  281 
Fort  Washington  (Revolution),  154 
Franklin  (Civil  War),  321 
Fredericksburg  (Civil  War),  300 
Germantown  (Revolution),  159 
Gettysburg  (Civil  War),  304 
Goldsboro  (Civil  War),  324 
Greensborough  (Revolution),  167 
Guilford  Court  House  (Revolution),  167 
Horseshoe  Bend  or  Tohopeka  (Indian  wars), 

205 
Island  Number  Ten  (Civil  War),  294 
Kearsarge  (keer'sarj)  and  Alabama  (Civil 

War),  312 
Kenesaw  (ken'e-saw)  Mountain  (Civil  War) 

316 
King's  Mountain  (Revolution),  165 
Lake  Champlain  (War  of  1812),  206 
Lake  Erie  (War  of  1812),  204 
Leopard  and  Chesapeake  (1807),  196 
Lexington  (Revolution),  142 
Long  Island  (Revolution),  153 
Lookout  Mountain  (Civil  War),  309 
Louisburg  (colonial  wars),  115 
Lundy's  Lane  (War  of  1812),  205 
Macdonough's  victory  (War  of  181 2),  206 
Malvern  Hill  (Civil  War),  298  (note) 
Manila  (war  with  Spain),  374,  378,  381 
Merrimac  and  Monitor  (Civil  War),  290 
Mexico  City  (Mexican  War),  255 
Mill  Spring  (Civil  War),  292 
Missionary  Ridge  (Civil  War),  309 
Mobile  Bay  (Civil  War),  318 
Molino  del  Rey  (mo-lee'no  del  ray)  (Mexican 

War),  255 
Monitor  and  Merrimac  (Civil  War),  290 
Monmouth  (Revolution),  162 
Monterey  (Mexican  War),  253 
Montreal  (Revolution),  146 
Murfreesboro  (Civil  War),  300 
Nashville  (Civil  War),  321 
New  Orleans  (or/le-anz)  (War  of  1812),  207 
New  Orleans  (Civil  War),  295 
Oriskany  (o-ris'ka-ny)  (Revolution),  158 
Palo  Alto  (pah'lo  ahl'to)  (Mexican  War),  252 
Pea  Ridge  (Civil  War),  300 
Peninsular  Campaign  (Civil  War),  297 
Perry's  Victory  (War  of  1812),  204 
Perryville  (Civil  War),  300 
Petersburg  mine  (Civil  War),  315 
Petersburg,  siege  of  (Civil  War),  315 
Pittsburg  Landing  (Civil  War),  294 
Port  Hudson  (Civil  War),  297,  308 
Princeton  (Revolution),  157  __ 
Quebec  (colonial  wars),  121-122 
Quebec  (Revolution),  148 
Resaca  (re-sah'ka)  (Civil  War),  316 
Resaca  de  la  Palma  (ray-sar/ka  da  la  pal'ma) 

(Mexican  War),  252 
Richmond,  advance  on  (Civil  War),  297 
Richmond,    Seven    Days'    Battles    around 

(Civil  War),  298 
San  Antonio  (an-to'ne-o)  (Mexican  War),  254 

(note) 


Battles,  San  Juan  (san  wanO  (war  with  Spain),  377 

Santiago  (san-te-ah'go)  (war  with  Spain),  377 

Saratoga  (Revolution),  159 

Savannah  (Revolution),  163 

Savannah  (Civil  War),  321 

Seminoles  (Indian  wars,  1818  and  1835),  210, 
236 

Seven  Days,  around  Richmond  (Civil  War), 
298 

Seven  Pines  (Civil  War),  297 

Shenandoah   (shen-an-do'ah)    Valley    (Civil 
War),  298 

Shiloh,  or  Pittsburg  Landing  (Civil  War),  294 

Spottsylvania  Courthouse  (Civil  War),  310 

Stony  Point  (Revolution),  164 

Sumter  (Civil  War),  281 

Ticonderoga  (Revolution),  144,  157 

Tippecanoe  (Indian  wars),  200 

Tohopeka  (to-ho-pe'kah)  (Indian  wars),  205 

Trenton  (Revolution),  155 

Tripoli  (war  with  Tripoli),  193 

Vera  Cruz  (Mexican  War),  254 

Vicksburg  (Civil  War),  297,  306 

Virginia  (or  Merrimac)  and  Monitor  (Civil 
War),  290 

Washington  taken  (War  of  181 2),  205 

Wilderness  (Civil  War),  310 

Williamsburg  (Civil  War),  297 

Wilson's  Creek  (Civil  War),  289  (note) 

Winchester  (Civil  War),  315 

Wyoming  (Revolution),  163 

Yorktown  (Revolution),  167-169 

Yorktown  (Civil  War),  297 

See  also  Army,  Navy,  Sieges,  and  Wars 
Battle  ships,  cruise  of  our  (1907),  398 
Beauregard  (bo're-gard),  General  (Confederate), 

282,  286,  287 
Bell,  A.  G.,  343 
Benton,  Thomas  H.,  228,  230 
Bergen  (ber'ghen),  64 
Bering  (bee'ring)  Sea  dispute  settled  (1893),  364. 

See  also  Arbitration  and  Treaties 
Berkeley,  Sir  W.,  54,  55,  57 
Bible,  Eliot's  Indian,  76 

Bienville  (be-en'vil),  at  New  Orleans  (17 18),  113 
Bill,  a  legislative,  defined,  230  (note) 
"  Bill  of  Rights  "  of  the  Constitution,  176 
Black  Hawk,  Indian  chief,  236 
"  Black  List,"  354 
"  Black  Republicans,"  267 
Bland  Silver  Bill  (1878),  347.   See  also  Silver 
Blockade  in  the  Civil  War,  289,  318  (and  note) 
Blockade  runners  (Civil  War),  289,  318  (and  note) 
Boise  (boi'ze),  251 

"Bonanza"  (bo-nan'za)  silver  mines,  271 
Books,  American,  131,  237,  238,  261 
Books,  Paine's  "  Common  Sense  "  (Revolution), 

150 
Boone,  Daniel,  183 
"  Border  Ruffians,"  267 
Boston  settled  (1630),  72 

"  Tea  Party  "  (Revolution),  139 

port  closed,  140 

siege  of,  by  Continental  Army,  143 

evacuated  by  the  British  (1776),  148,  149 
Boundaries  of  the  United  States.   See  Table  in 

Appendix 
Boundary  disputes,  92,  93,  246,  252.    See  also 

Mason  and  Dixon's  Line 
Bounties  to  encourage  production,  126 
Boycott,  use  of,  139,  141,  354,  355  (and  note) 
Braddock's  defeat  (colonial  wars),  120 
Bradford,  governor  of  Plymouth,  70,  71 


lxxviii     LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Bragg,  General  (Confederate),  300,  301,  308 
■  Bread  Basket  of  the  World,"  384 
Breadstuffs,  export  of,  367,  393 
Bridge,  St.  Louis,  346 

Brooklyn  Suspension,  350 
Bridges,  new,  at  New  York,  350 
Brooklyn,  278 
Brown,  John,  life  of,  267  (note) 

in  Kansas,  267 

raid  in  Virginia  (1859),  273  (and  note) 

execution  of,  273 

denounced  by  the  Republicans,  274 

song,  the,  273.   See  also  Songs 
Bryan,  William  J.,  366  (note) 
Bryant,  W.  C,  237 
Buchanan  (buk-an'an),  James,  life  of,  268  (note) 

presidency  of,  268 

his  attitude  toward  secession,  277 
Buckner,  General  (Confederate),  294 
Buell,  General  (Union),  294 
Buffalo,  hunted  by  Spaniards,  25 
Buildings,  notable,  in  New  York  City,  368,  369 

notable,  in  Washington,  368 
Bull  Run,  battle  of,  287.   See  also  Battles 
Bunker  Hill,  battle  of,  145.   See  also  Battles 

monument,  218  (and  note) 
Burgesses,  house  of,  in  Virginia,  52 
Burgoyne  (bur-goinO,  General  (British),  144 

his  expedition  (1777),  i57_IS9 

surrender  of,  159 
Burke,  Edmund,  136 
Burnside,  General  (Union),  300 
Burr,  Aaron,  killed  Hamilton  in  a  duel  (1804),  197 

tried  for  treason  (1807),  196 
Business  corporations  and  "trusts,"  356 
Business  panics,  239.   See  also  Panics 
Butler,  General  (Union),  284 

and  the  "contrabands,"  284 

at  New  Orleans,  295 

Cabinet,  first  presidential  (1789),  178 

Lincoln's,  281  (note) 

number  of  members  now,  358  (note) 

and  Presidential  Succession.  Act,  358 
Cables,  telegraph,  247,  334,  391.  See  also  Tele- 
Cabot  discovers  the  continent  of  America  (1497), 

15-16 
Calhoun  (kal-hoon'),  life  of,  231  (note) 

denounces  high  protective  tariff,  231 

demands  free  trade,  231 

declares  slavery  a  "  positive  good,"  23 1  (note), 

259 

advocates  nullification,  232 

defends  secession,  232 

Webster's  tribute  to,  231  (note) 

death  of,  262 
California,  conquest  of  (Mexican  War),  254 

annexed  to  United  States,  255 

gold  found  in  (1848),  256-258 

emigration  to,  256-257 

Vigilance  Committee  of,  257 

and  question  of  slavery,  258-261 

pony  express  to,  336 

stagecoach  to,  336 

railway  to,  336-338 

agricultural  products  of,  258 

great  earthquake  in  (1906),  397 
Calvert,  Lord  Baltimore,  89,  91 
Canada  settled  (1608),  47 
Canal,  the  Erie,  finished  (1825),  219-221 

effects  of  the,  221-222 

made  transportation  cheap,  221 


Canal,  enlargement  of  the,  222,  393 

the  Panama,  22,  388,  389,  393,  403 

See  also  the  West 
Canals,  other,  234 

Canonicus  (kan-on'i-cus),  Indian  chief,  70 
Canyon  (kan'yun),  Grand,  of  Arizona  discovered, 

25>  3i 
Cape  Breton  (bret'on)  Island,  15 
Capital,  corporations,  "trusts,"  356,  357 
Capital,  the  national  (1789-1800),  177 
Carnegie  (kar-neg'i),  Andrew,  387  (note) 

Institute,  Pittsburg,  387 
Carolina,  settled,  97,  98 

constitution  of,  99 

divided  into  North  and  South,  99 

rice,  indigo,  and  cotton  in,  99-100 

the  Huguenots  in,  98 
Carolina,nullification  in  South,  231,  232 

secession  of  South,  274,  276 

negro  rule  in  South,  332 
Carpenters'  Hall,  the,  Philadelphia,  141 
"  Carpetbaggers,"  332 
Carteret  (kar'te-ret),  65 
Carrier's  (karty-a')  explorations  (1535),  22 
Carver,  Governor,  69,  70 

Catholics,  had  no  religious  liberty  in  England, 
66,  89  (note) 

early  missions  in  the  West,  109 

early  Catholic  explorers  in  the  West,  109-113 

emigrate  to  Maryland  (1634),  89 

first  Catholic  church  in  the  United  States 
(1634),  89 

grant  religious  liberty  to  all  Christians,  90 

are  deprived  of  their  rights,  91 

regain  their  rights,  91 

not  tolerated  in  Massachusetts,  72,  73,  81 

enjoy  freedom  of  worship  in  Rhode  Island,  95 

not  allowed  to  vote  in  Rhode  Island,  95 

not  tolerated  in  Georgia,  107 

not  many  in  the  colonies  in  1763,  125  (and 
note) 
Cattle  and  sheep  ranches,  339,  340 
Cavaliers  (kav-a-leerz')  in  Virginia,  55 
Census,  the  first  (1790),  179 

and  ratio  of  representation,  180 

movement  of   population  westward  (1790- 
1900),  180 

of  i860,  285  (note)  [399 

the  Centennial  (1890),  361 ;  (1900),  399  ;  (1910), 

reports  (1790-1910).    See  Appendix,  and  401 

See  also  Cities  and  Population 
Cervera  (cer-ve'ra),  Admiral,  376,  377,  378 
Chambersburg  burned  (Civil  War),  314 
Champlain,  French  explorer,  47,  59 
Channing,  Dr.,  and  slavery,  228-229 
Charitable  and  educational  gifts,  353  (note),  387 
Charleston  settled  (1670),  98,  100 

in  the  Civil  War,  281,  324,  325 
Charter  defined,  20  (note) 
"  Charter  Oak,"  Connecticut,  88 
Charters,  colonial,  44,  50,  54,  72,  80,  81,  87,  89, 95, 

103,  132 
Chase,  S.  P.  (Civil  War),  326 
Chatham  (chat'ham),  Lord  (William  Pitt),  121, 

136,  138 
Cherry  Valley  massacre  (Revolution),  163 
Chicago  in  very  early  times,  117 

growth  of,  237,  278 
China,  our  policy  in,  387,  388 
Chinese  immigration,  243 
Christian  Commission  (Civil  War),  326 
Church  of  England,  in  Virginia,  44,  48 

of  England  in  Maryland,  92 


INDEX 


lxxix 


Church  of  the  Dutch  in  New  Netherland,  62 
the  Puritan,  in  Massachusetts,  73 
the  Puritan,  in  Connecticut,  86 
first  Baptist,  in  United  States,  94 
first  Catholic,  in  the  United  States,  89 
attendance  at,  compelled,  48,  74 
freedom  of  worship  granted,  95 
See  also  Religious  Liberty 

Cincinnati,  founded  (1790),  183 
in  1861,  278 

Cities,  colonial,  125 

rapid  growth  of  modern,  237,  278,  279,  339, 

369 

population  of,  368,  369,  370 

government  of,  341,  370 

"rings"  in,  341 

notable  buildings  in,  368,  369 

improvement  of,  394,  397 

See  also  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia 
City,  the  oldest,  in  the  United  States  (1565),  26 
Civil  Rights  Act(i866),  331  (note).   See  also  Laws 
Civil  service,  what  it  is,  349 

number  employed  in  the,  349  (note) 

service  reform,  349 
Civil  War,  the.   See  Battles  and  Wars 
Clark,  G.  R.,  in  the  West  (Revolution),  163 
Clay,  Henry,  life  of,  213  (note) 

the  "  great  compromiser,"  234 

his  compromises,  213,  234,  259,  260 

and  the  National  Road,  216 

leader  of  the  Whigs,  238 

advocates  protective  tariff,  23 1 

his  compromise  tariff,  234 
Clayborne  and  Ingle  rebellion  (colonial  period)  90 
Cleveland,  Grover,  life  of,  354  (note) 

first  presidency  of,  353 

second  presidency  of,  363 
Clinton,  Governor  De  Witt,  220,  221 
Clinton,  British  general,  144,  153,  162  (note),  168 
Clipper  ships,  American,  243 
Coal,  discovery  and  use  of  hard  (1790),  236  (and 

note) 
Coal  oil,  271,  272,  357.   See  also  Petroleum 
Coal  strike  (1902),  390 
Cod  fishery,  47,  71,  73,  82,  125 
Coinage  of  money,  180.    See  also  Dollar,  Gold, 

Money,  and  Silver 
College,  Harvard,  founded  (1636),  75-76 
Colleges,  the  three  oldest,  75 

agricultural,  384 

See  also  Education,  Gifts,  and  Universities 
Colonies,  Dutch,  59,  84,  97 

English,  28-30,  41,  64,  65,  69,  72,  81,  84,  89, 
93,  07,  101,  106 

French,  25,  26,  47,  113 

Spanish,  22,  26 

Swedish,  96 
Colonies,  agriculture  in,  48,  127 

books,  76,  131 

bounties  to  encourage  production,  126 

charters  of,  20  (note),  44,  50,  72,  80,  81,  87, 
89,  95,  103,  132 

cities  of  the,  125 

commerce  of  the,  73,  125,  126,  135 

commerce,  restrictions  on,  56, 80, 125, 134, 135 

compact,  Pilgrim,  69 

constitution,  first  American  (1639),  85 

constitution  of  the  Carolinas,  99 

constitution  of  Pennsylvania,  103-104 

constitution  of  Georgia,  107 

dress,  styles  of,  128 

education  in  the,  75,  104,  130 

electricity,  Franklin's  experiments,  131 


Colonies,  England  taxes  the,  135-139 

England's  liberal  political  policy  toward  her, 
44,  50,  52,  63,  126 

England's  treatment  of  the,  44,  50,  52,  55, 
56,  125,  126,  135,  161 

fisheries,  71,  73,  82,  125 

flag  of  the,  72,  126,  159  (note) 

Franklin's  plan  of  union  (1754),  119 

fur  trade  of,  59,  71,  82,  125 

government  of,  44,  47,  50,  52,  54,  55,  57,  58, 
62,  66,  69,  73,  85,  90,  91,  95,  99,  103,  126 

hospitality,  129 

independent  character  of  the  people,  126,  127 

independent,  people  declare  themselves 
(1776),  150 

Indians  and  the,  37-38 

jury,  trial  by,  126 

language  of  the,  125 

law,  44,  50,  52,  86,  126,  130 

law,  the  common,  in  the,  126 

laws,  severe,  in  the,  47,  48,  70,  78,  86,  130 

legislative  assembly,  first  (1619),  50 

life  in  the,  73,  127-130 

literature,  131 

mails  and  postage,  129 

manufactures,  125 

manufactures,  restrictions  on,  125 

New  England  Confederation  (1643),  76 

occupations  of  the  people,  48,  73,  128 

population,  124 

printing,  76 

punishment  of  crime,  47,  48,  70,  86  (note),  104, 
130 

religion  of  the,  44,  74,  90,  95,  104,  125.  See 
also  Catholics,  Baptists,  Huguenots,  Pil- 
grims, Puritans,  Quakers 

religious  liberty  in,  72,  74,  75.  See  also  Re- 
ligious Liberty 

revolution,  135-141.  See  also  Revolution 

shipbuilding  in  the,  73,  125 

slavery  in  the,  52,  124 

smuggling  in  the,  126 

suffrage  in  the,  50,  54,  62,  70,  73,  81,  86,  91, 
95,  97,  9?,  io3,  104,  107,  126 

taxation  of,  resisted,  136,  137 

trade,  73,  125.   See  also  Commerce 

travel,  very  limited,  129 

union  of  the,  76,  119 

union  of  the,  dreaded  by  England,  120 

unity  of  the  people  generally,  126 

vote,  right  to,  50,  54,  62,  70,  73,  81,  86,  91,  95, 
97,  99,  103,  104,  107,  126 

wars  of  the,  with  the  French,  Indians,  and 
Spaniards,  38,  56,  57,  79,  85,  108,  1 14-124 

See  also  the  Names  of  the  Colonies 
Columbia  River  discovered  (1792),  195 
Columbus,  birth,  voyages,  and  death,  1-15 

discovers  America  (1492),  10,  12 

wherein  his  work  was  great,  14-15 

celebration  of  his  discovery  (1892-1893),  363 
Commerce,  colonial,  73,  125,  126,  134,  135 

restrictions  on,  55,  56,  125,  134,  135 

of  United  States,  338,  367,  387,  388,  389 

effect  of  the  embargo  on  (1807),  196 

effect  of  Non- Intercourse  Act  on  (1809),  196 

reopened  temporarily  (1809),  199 

effect  of  War  of  1812  on,  208 

Department  of  Commerce,  355  (and  note) 

Interstate  Commerce  Act,  358,  398 

recent,  367 

See  also  Exports,  Smuggling,  and  Trade 
Committees  of  Correspondence  (Revolution),  140 
"Common  Sense,"  Paine's  (Revolution),  150 


lxxx 


LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Compact,  the  Pilgrim  (1620),  69 
Compromise  (kom'pro-mize)  defined,  213 

the  Missouri  (1820),  213 

Clay's  tariff  (1833),  234 

measures  (1850),  259-260 
Compromises  of  the  Constitution,  173 
Confederacy,  the  Southern  (1861),  276 

had  slavery  for  its  corner  stone,  277  (note) 
Confederate  army,  283, 285,  286,  289,  298,  308,  325, 
327 

navy  or  war  ships,  289 

capital,  276,  284 
Confederation,  the  New  England  (1643),  76 

of  the  United  States  (1781),  170 

what  it  accomplished,  170,  172 

proved  inadequate,  171,  173 

superseded  by  the  present  Constitution,  173 
•  why  inferior  to  the  Constitution,  175 
Congress,  the  Albany  (1754),  119 

the  Stamp  Act  (1765),  137 

first  Continental  (1774),  141 

second  Continental  (1775),  144 

of  the  Confederation  (1781),  170,  171 

first  under  the  Constitution  (1789),  179 

acts  of.   See  Laws 
Congressional  Library,  368 
Connecticut  settled  (1635),  84 

Pequot  war  in,  85 

constitution  of  (1639),  85 

extent  of,  under  its  charter,  87 

Andros  and  the  charter,  87 
Constitution,  necessity  of  a,  85  (note) 

of  Connecticut  (first  American,  1639),  85 

the  "  Grand  Model "  of  Carolinas,  99 

of  Pennsylvania,  103-104 

of  Georgia,  107 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  first  (1781),  170. 
See  also  Confederation 

necessity  of  framing  a  new,  171,  173 

convention  drafts  the  new  (1787),  171,  173 

compromises  of  the  new,  173 

Federalists  and  Anti-Federalists  and  the,  174, 
177 

Madison's  work  on  the,  109  (note) 

Hamilton  labors  for  its  adoption,  175 

opening  lines  of  the,  174 

how  it  differed  from  the  Articles  of  Confed- 
eration, 175 

the  new,  adopted  (1787),  173-175 

what  it  accomplished,  175 

first  ten  amendments  to  the  (1789-1791),  176 

Eleventh  Amendment  (1798),  176  (note) 

Twelfth  Amendment  (1804),  176  (note) 

Thirteenth  Amendment  (1865),  301,  330 

Fourteenth  Amendment  (1868),  33 1  (and  note) 

Fifteenth  Amendment  (1870),  333 

what  the  last  three  amendments  did,  333 

the  Fifteenth  Amendment  now  inoperative, 
333>  37i 

the,  with  Introduction  and  Notes.   See  Ap- 
pendix 

See  also  the  Union 
Constitution,  the,  denounced  by  Garrison,  228 

(note) 
Constitution  and  Guerriere,  202 .   See  also  Battles 
Constitutional  Convention  (1787),  173 
Constitutions,  state,  revised  (1891-1907),  371 

initiative  and  referendum  in,  371  (and  note) 

See  also  Negroes  and  Reconstruction 
Contraband  of  war,  284  (note) 
"  Contrabands  "  in  the  Civil  War,  284 
Controversies,  international,  settled  peacefully, 
246,  252,  344,  364,  365,  366,  388 


Convention,  the  Albany  (1754),  119 
the  Constitutional  (1787),  173 
the  Hartford  (1814),  208 
of  secession  (i860),  274 
for  preservation  of  natural  resources  (1908) 

.395  .      ,    , 

Convicts  sent  to  America  (colonial  period),  54 
Cooper,  novelist,  237 
Corn,  discovered  in  America,  39 

great  crop  of,  385 
Cornwallis,  British  general,  153-157,  164-168 
Coronado's  (ko-ro-nah'do)  expedition  (1540),  24- 

25 
Corporations  and  "  trusts,"  356-357 

government  supervision  of,  357 

See  also  under  Laws,  Interstate  Commerce 
Act,  Meat  Inspection  Act,  Pure  Food  Act, 
and  Railway  Rate  Act 
Correspondence,  Committees  of  (Revolution),  140 
Cortez  in  Mexico  (15 19),  22 
Cotton,  exported  (1784),  184,  351 

manufacture  of  (1790),  184 

effect  of  War  of  1812  on  manufactures,  208 

first  complete  cotton  mill  (1814),  185 

exhibition  of,  at  New  Orleans  (1884),  351 

"Cotton  is  king,"  351 

value  of  crop  now,  48  (note) 

increased  production  of,  351,  352,  385 
Cotton  gin  invented  (1793),  results,  184,  185,  212 

effect  of  cotton  gin  on  slavery,  185,  212 

effect  on  cotton  manufacture,  185,  212 

effect  on  export  of  cotton,  185 
Cotton-seed  oil,  352  (and  note) 
Council  for  New  England  (colonial  period),  72 

(note) 
Coxey  "  Industrial  Army"  (1894),  364 
"Cradle  of  Liberty"  (Revolution),  137 
Crops,  great,  384,  385 
Cruise  of  our  battle  ships  (1907),  398 
Crystal  Palace  (1853),  263 
Cuba  conquered  by  Spaniards  (1509),  20 

United  States  tries  to  buy  (1845),  372 

and  "  Ostend  Manifesto  "  (1854),  372 

expeditions  against,  372 

revolutions  in,  372 

President  Cleveland  on,  372 

starvation  in,  373 

destruction  of  the  Maine  (1898),  373 

President  McKinley  on,  373 

United  States  declares  it  independent,  373 

United  States  declares  war  against  Spain,  on 
behalf  of  (1898),  374 

Spanish  forces  leave,  382 

becomes  a  dependency  of  the  United  States, 
382 

conditional  independence  of,  382 

insurrection  in  (1906),  382 

Secretary  Taft  provisional  governor  of,  382 

government  restored  to  the  Cubans,  382 

present  condition  of,  382 
Cumberland  or  National  Road  (1811-1836),  215. 

See  also  Roads 
Custer,  General,  killed,  344 
Czar  (zar),  217 
Czolgosz  (choKgosh),  390  (note) 

Dale,  governor  of  Virginia  (colonial  period),  47 
Dalton  (dawl'tun),  Georgia,  309 
Dare,  Virginia,  30 

Davenport,  Rev.  John  (colonial  period),  86 
Davis,  Captain  John  (colonial  period),  27 
Davis,  Jefferson,  life  of,  276  (note) 
in  Congress,  276  (note) 


INDEX 


lxxxi 


Davis,  Jefferson,  and  slavery,  262 

president  of  the  Confederate  States,  276 

capture  of,  324-325 
Debt  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  179 

payment  of  the,  179 
Debt  of  the  Civil  War,  325  (note),  335 

partial  payment  of  the,  335 

reduction  of  interest  on,  348 

present  debt  of  United  States,  335  (note) 
Debts,  state  (1783-1787),  171 

in  1837,  240 
Decatur  (de-ka'tur),  Commodore,  193 
Declaration  of  Independence  (1776),  150-152.  See 
also  the  Declaration  with  an  Introduction  and 
Notes  in  Appendix 
Declaration  of  Rights  (1765},  137 
Declaration  of  Rights  (1774),  141 
Declaratory  Act  {1766),  138.    See  also  Laws  of 

Parliament 
Deerfield  burned  (colonial  period),  115 
De  Gourgues'  (deh  goorg/)  revenge,  26 
De  Kalb,  General  (Revolution),  157,  165 
Delaware,  Lord,  47 
Delaware,  settled  by  Swedes  (1638),  96 

seized  by  the  Dutch,  97 

seized  by  the  English,  97 

granted  to  William  Penn,  97,  102 

first  state  to  enter  the  Union,  97 
De  Leon  (da  le'on)  discovers  Florida  (1513),  20 
Democratic-Republicans  (1792),  182,  191 
Democrats,  rise  of  the  party  (1792),  182 

at  first  called  "  Republicans,"  180,  182 

then  called  "  Democratic-Republicans,"  182 

compared  with  the  Federalists,  182 

Thomas  Jefferson,  leader  of  the,  191  (note) 

they  upheld  state  rights,  182 

opposed  United  States  Bank,  182 

Jefferson,  first  Democratic  President,  191 

principles  of,  in  1840,  245  (note) 

elect  all  Presidents  (1804- 1860)  except  Harri- 
son and  Taylor,  244,  258 

advocated  free  trade  or  revenue  tariff,  219 
(note),  231  (note),  245  (note) 

advocated  an  independent  treasury,  245  (note) 

left  the  slavery  question  to  the  states,  245 
(note),  265 

believed  internal  improvements  should  be 
made  by  the  states,  219  (note),  245  (note) 

elected  Cleveland  President  in  1884  and  1892, 
353>  363 

the  Free-Silver  Democrats,  316  (note),  366 
(note) 

the  Gold  Democrats,  366  (note) 

See  also  Silver 
Denver,  Colorado,  279,  339 
Department  of  Agriculture  (1889),  355 

of  Commerce  and  Labor  (1903),  355 
"  Department  stores,"  357 
"  Desert,  the  Great  American,"  384 
De  Soto's  (de  so'to)  expedition  (1539),  23,  no 

discovers  the  Mississippi  (1541),  23-24 

is  buried  in  it,  24 
Detroit,  117,  201,  202,  205,  278 
Dewey,  Admiral,  374,  378,  381 
Diaz  (de'az),  voyage  of,  6 
Dictionary,  Webster's,  238  (and  note) 
Dinwiddie,  Governor,  117 
Disasters,  great,  341,  396-397 
Discoveries,  scientific,  362  (note) 
Disputes,  international,  settled  peaceably,  246, 252, 
344,  364,  365, 366,  388,  396.   See  also  Boundaries 
Disunion,  228,  232.    See  also  Garrison,  Lincoln, 
Nullification,  Secession,  Slavery,  Union,  Wars 


"Dixie,"  Confederate  song,  314  (and  note) 

Dollar,  first  coined  (1792),  180 

dropped  from  coins  (1873),  342 
"dollar  of  our  fathers "  demanded,  347 
restored  (1878),  347 
fall  in  value  of  silver,  347,  361 
great  coinage  of  silver,  347  (and  note),  360,  361 
coinage  of  silver,  checked  (1893),  364 
See  also  Coinage,  Banks,  Gold,  Mint,  Money, 
Silver 

Dorchester  Heights  (Revolution),  148 

Dorr  rebellion  (1842),  246 

"  Doughfaces,"  214  (note) 

Douglas,  Stephen  A. ,  265  (and  note),  266 

Draft  riots  (Civil  War),  308 

Drafting  at  the  South  (Civil  War),  308 

Drainage  of  swamp  lands,  395 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  voyage  of  (1 577-1 580),  27 

Drake.  E.  L.,  sinks  first  oil  well  (1859),  271 

Dred  Scott  case  (1857),  268-269 

Dress  in  colonial  period,  128 

Drink,  strong,  and  the  Indians,  59 

Drinking  habits  of  early  times,  59,  73,  224.    See 
also  Prohibition  and  Temperance 

Duquesne  (du-kane'),  Fort,  119,  121 

Dustin,  Mrs.,  and  the  Indians,  115 

Dutch,  in  New  Netherland  or  New  York  (1613), 

59)  6° 
claim  New  Jersey,  64 
try  to  get  Connecticut,  76 
seize  the  Delaware  country,  97 
are  driven  out  by  the  English,  97 
are  forced  to  give  up  New  Netherland  (1664), 
64 

Eads'  (eeds),  Captain,  work  on  the  Mississippi, 

346 
Early's  raid  (Civil  War),  312 
Earth,  early  ideas  about  the,  1 

countries  known  in  time  of  Columbus,  1 
Earthquake  at  Charleston  (1886),  396 

at  San  Francisco  (1906),  397 
Edison,  inventor,  344  (note) 
Education  (colonial  period),  54  (and  note),  75, 
104,  130 

in  the  West,  172,  384 

in  the  South,  353  (and  note) 

gifts  to  promote,  387  (and  note) 

of  the  negro,  353  (and  note) 

of  women,  360 

free  in  America,  400 

See  also  Colleges,  Schools,  and  Universities 
Edwards,  Rev.  Jonathan  (colonial  period),  131 
Election,  of  President  Jefferson  by  Congress,  191 
(note) 

presidential  (1800),  191  (note) 

change  in  method  of  presidential  (1804),  176 
(note) 

the  disputed  (Hayes  vs.TMen,  1876),  345,  358 

Australian  or  secret  ballot  introduced  (1889), 
363 
Electoral  Commission  (1876),  345 

Count  Act  (1887),  358.   See  also  Laws 
"  Electric  Age,"  the,  344  [and  Telephone 

Electric  railways,  344,  402.    See  also  Telegraph 
Electricity,  Franklin's  discoveries  (colonial  pe- 
riod), 131 

wonderful  development  of,  343-344,  391-392 

present  uses  of,  132,  247,  248,  263,  264,  342- 
344,  391-392 
Eliot,  Rev.  John  (colonial  period),  76,  79 
Emancipation  of  negroes,  Garrison  demands,  228 

South  feared  it,  259,  274 


lxxxii      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Emancipation  of  negroes,  petition  for,  220-230 
Fremont's  proclamation  of,  287  (note) 
Lincoln's  letter  to  Greeley  on,  303  (note) 
Lincoln's  proclamation  of  (1863),  301 
an  advantage  to  the  South,  301,  302 

Embargo  Act  (1807),  196.   See  also  Laws 
effect  on  exports,  196 
effect  on  manufactures,  196 

Emerson,  R.  W.,  238 

Emigration  to  the  United  States  (1840-        ),  242 

Emigration  to  the  West  (1825-        ),  216,  236,  256 
257>  266,  338,  339 
of  Mormons  to  Utah  (1847),  242 
to  California  for  gold  (1849),  256,  257 
to  Kansas  (1854),  266 
See  also  Immigration  and  West 

Endicott,  governor  of  Massachusetts  (1628),  72 
cuts  the  cross  out  of  the  English  flag,  72 

England's  claim  to  America  (1497),  15-16 
her  need  of  America,  41,  72  (note) 

Elants  colony  of  Virginia  (1607),  45 
er  general  policy  toward  her  colonies,  44, 
50,  52,  55,  56,  125,  126, 134,  135,  161 
levies  taxes  without  giving  representation  in 

Parliament,  135-137 
offers  representation,  161 
See  also  America,  Colonies,  Revolution,  Wars 
"  Era  of  Good  Feeling"  (1817),  210 
Ericson,  Leif  (life),  discovers  America  (1000),  3 
Ericsson,  Captain,  291  (note) 
Erie  Canal  completed  (1825),  219-222.    See  also 

Canals 
Erskine  (ers'kin),  English  ambassador,  199 
Ether,  Dr.  Morton  introduces  (1846),  248 
Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  82 
Exhibition,  World's  Fair  (1853),  263 
Centennial  (1876),  342 
New  Orleans  (1884),  351 
Columbian  (1893),  363 
Trans- Mississippi  (1898),  383 
Pan-American  (1901),  389 
Louisiana  Purchase  (1904),  392 
Portland,  Oregon  (1905),  392 
Expansion  of  the  United  States,  193,  211,  249, 

252,  255,  278,  279,  334,  378,  380,  381,  382. 
Expansion  of  the   United   States,  summary  of 

(1803-1898),  381-382.   See  also  Territory 
Expenses  of  the  national  government,  385  (and 
note),  396  (note) 
in  the  Civil  War,  325  (and  note).  See  also  Wars 
See  also  United  States 
Exports,  colonial,  47,  48,  59,  73,  100,  125 
restrictions  on  colonial,  55,  56 
embargo  on  (1807),  196 
great  falling  off  in  (1807),  196 
enormous  increase  in,  367,  368  (and  note) 
See  also  Commerce,  Navigation  Laws,  and 
Trade 
Expositions.   See  Exhibitions 
Express  system  established  (1839),  236  (and  note) 
Express,  pony,  to  California  (i860),  336 

Fairs.   See  Exhibitions 
Faneuil  (fan'el)  Hall  (Revolution),  137 
Farms  and  farming  at  the  West,  264,  339,  340, 
383-385  ,         ,      v 

cattle,  or  ranches  (ran'chez),  339 

See  also  Agriculture  and  Crops 
Farragut,  Admiral  (Union),  life  of,  295  (note) 

takes  New  Orleans,  295-297 

enters  Mobile  Bay,  318 

is  made  admiral,  295  (note) 
Federal  ratio,  the,  179 


Federalists,  the,  174,  177,  182,  191  (note) 

downfall  of  the,  191  (note) 
Federation  of  Labor  (1886),  355 
Field,  Cyrus  W.,  334 
Fifteenth  Amendment,  the  (1870),  333,  371.    See 

also  Amendments 
Filipinos  (fil-i-pee'noze),  382 
Fillmore,  Millard,  becomes  President,  261 
Finis  (fi'nis),  88 

Fires,  great  (Boston,  Chicago,  San  Francisco), 
341,  396,  397 

destruction  of  forests  by,  341,  386 

annual  loss  by,  341 
Fisheries,  cod,  71,  73,  82,  125,  135 
Fitch,  John,  inventor,  197  (note) 
Flag,    Endicott  mutilates  the   British   (colonial 
period),  72 

the  "rattlesnake  flag"  (colonial  period),  126 

first,  of  the  united  colonies  (1776),  159  (note) 

first,of  the  United  States  (1777),  1 59  (and  note) 

first  United  States,  on  a  war  ship  (1777),  159 
(and  note) 

the  "Star-Spangled  Banner,"  206-207  (and 
note) 

protects  American  vessels  against  search,  246 

the  North  rallies  for  the  (Civil  War),  283 

in  the  war  for  the  Union,  282,  296 

"  Rally  round  the  flag,  boys,"  308 

hoisted  in  triumph  over  Sumter  (1865),  325 

the  Confederate  (Civil  War),  277 

veterans  of  North  and  South  unite  under  the 
national,  383 
Florida,  discovered  (15 13),  20 

meaning  of  name,  2 1 

De  Soto  in,  23 

struggle  of  French  and  Spaniards  for,  26-27 

Spain  cedes  to  England  (1763),  123 

England  cedes  back  to  Spain  (1783),  123 

Jackson  in,  211 

United  States  purchases  (1819),  211 

Seminole  wars  in,  211,  236 
"  Flying  machine  "  (colonial  period),  129 

the,  to-day,  344 
Food  Act,  Pure,  398.   See  also  Laws 
Food  stuffs  found  in  America,  39 

great  crops  of,  384,  385,  401 

exports  of,  368.   See  also  Exports 
Foote,  Commodore  (Union),  294 
Force  Act,  340.   See  also  Laws 
Forests,  extent  of,  385,  386  (note) 

destruction  of,  341,  386  (and  note) 

preservation  of,  385,  386  (and  note),  395 
Fort  Cumberland,  215 

Dearborn  (Chicago),  237 

Donelson,  202 

Duquesne  (du-kane'),  119,  120,  121 

Erie,  117 

Frontenac  (fron-te-nakO,  m>  121 

Henry,  292 

Lee,  153,  154 

Louisburg,  115 

McAllister,  321 

McHenry,  206 

Monroe,  284 

Moultrie,  149 

Necessity,  119 

Orange  (Albany),  59 

Pitt  (Pittsburg),  121 

Quebec,  121 

Schuyler  (sky'ler),  158 

Stanwix,  158 

Stony  Point,  163 

Sullivan,  149 


INDEX 


lxxxiii 


Fort  Sumter,  281,  325 

Ticonderoga,  144,  148,  157 
Venango  (ve-nan'go),  117 
Washington,  153,  154 

Forts,  line  of  French  (i7th-i8th  centuries),  no, 
"3,  "7 

"  Fountain  of  youth,"  20 

France,  sends  expedition  to  America  (1524),  22 
makes  explorations  in  America  (1535),  22 
plants  colony  at  Quebec  (1608),  47 
in  the  West  (1669-1682),  109-112 
takes  possession  of  Louisiana  (1682),  112 
builds  forts  in  America,  no,  113,  117 
struggle  of,  with  England  for  America  (1689- 

1763),  1 14-124 
loses  American  possessions  (1763),  123 
aids  us  in  our  war  for  independence,  160,  161, 

168 
makes  treaty  with  us  (1778),  160 
our  dispute  with,  after  the  Revolution,  182 
war  with  (1798),  188 
sells  us  Louisiana  (1803),  193,  194 
citizensof,  give  us  Statue  of  Liberty(i886),357 
See  also  Catholic  Missionaries,  French,  Ge- 
net, Huguenots,  Lafayette,  and  Wars 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  life  of,  115  (note) 
his  writings,  131 
his  almanac,  131 
his  electrical  experiments,  131 
his  "key  to  the  clouds,"  132 
his  picture  of  a  snake,  119 
plan  of  union  of  the  colonies  (1754),  1.19 
and  the  Stamp  Act,  136 
his  letter  to  Strahan,  146,  147 
and  Declaration  of  Independence,  152 
negotiates  treaty  with  France,  160 
compared  with  Washington,  161 
obtains  money  for  the  Revolution,  161  (and 

note) 
fits  out  war  ships,  164 
helps  frame  the  Constitution  (1787),  173 

"  Free  silver,"  demand  for,  347  (and  note),  363 
(note),  366  (note).  See  also  Coinage,  Dollar, 
and  Silver 

Free  Soilers,  259 

Free  trade  demanded  by  the  South,  212,  231.  See 
also  Tariff 

"  Free  Trade  and  Sailors'  Rights"  (War  of  181 2), 
201 

Freedmen,  "  contrabands  "  (Civil  War),  284 
or  negroes  (Civil  War),  301 
and  reconstruction,  331,  333 
and  "  Carpetbaggers,"  332 
work  mischief  at  the  South,  332 
and  "  Ku  Klux  Klan,"  340 
their  power  restricted,  332,  333 
progress  made  by  the,  302,  352,  353 
See  also  Amendments  to  Constitution, Eman- 
cipation,   Negroes,    Reconstruction,   and 
Suffrage 

Freedom  of  worship,  90,  95,  104,  191  (note),  199 

(note).   See  also  Religious  Liberty- 
Freight,  cheap  rates  by  canal,  221 

Fremont,  General,  life  of,  287  (note) 
in  California  (war  with  Mexico),  254 
his  proclamation  of  emancipation  (Civil  War), 
287  (note) 

French,  the,  name  Montreal  (1535),  22 

try  to  plant  colonies  in  the  South  (1562,  1564), 

25-26 
found  Quebec  (1608),  47 
explore  the  West  (1669-1682),  109-112 
take  possession  of  Louisiana  (1682),  112 


French,  build  forts  in  West,  no,  113,  117 

found  Mobile  and  New  Orleans  (1701,  17 18), 
"3 

at  St.  Louis,  117 

are  conquered  in  Canada,  115,  116 

are  driven  out  of  Acadia,  120 

are  conquered  in  the  West,  121,  123 

See  also  Catholics,  France,  Huguenots,  La- 
fayette, and  Wars 
Friends,  or  Quakers,  belief  of  the,  77-78 

in  Massachusetts,  77-79 

peculiarities  of  the,  77-78.    See  also  Penn 
and  Quakers 
Frobisher's  (fro'bish-er)  voyages,  27 
Frontenac  (fron-te-nak'),  in,  121 
Fugitive  slaves,  laws  respecting  (1643),  76  (note) 

and  Northwest  Territory  (1787),  172 

and  the  Constitution,  174  (note) 

law  respecting  (1793),  174  (note) 

law  respecting  (1850),  260-261 

resistance  to  the  law,  261 

and  "  Underground  Railroad,"  261 

"  contrabands  "  (Civil  War),  284 

See  also  Abolitionists,  Negroes,  and  Slavery 
Fulton's  steamboat  (1807),  197 
Fur  trade,  37,  59,  82,  90,  195 

Gadsden  purchase  (1853),  255 

"  Gag  rules  "  in  Congress  (slavery),  230 

Gage,  British  general  (Revolution),  138,  140,  141, 

142,  144,  145,  146  (note) 
Galveston,  278 

hurricane  (1900),  396 
Garfield,  J.  A.,  life  of,  348  (note) 

presidency  of,  348 

assassinated,  348,  349 
Garrison,  W.  Lloyd  (loyd),  publishes  Liberator 
(183 1),  228 

denounces  the  Constitution,  228  (note) 

mobbed,  229 

See  also  Abolitionists  and  Slavery 
Gas,  natural,  272 

Gaspee  destroyed  (Revolution),  138 
Gates,  General  (Revolution),  160,  165 
"  Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  194 
"  Gateway  of  the  West,"  117,  119 
Genet  (zheh-nay'),  "  Citizen,"  182 
Geneva  Tribunal  (1871),  344 
Geography,  influence  of,  on  our  history,  31,  42 
George  III,  character  and  policy,  135 

resolves  to  tax  the  colonies,  135 

and  Stamp  Act,  136 

and  tea  tax,  139 

E  reclaims  America  in  rebellion,  149 
ires  Hessians  to  fight,  150 
statue  pulled  down  (Revolution),  152 
acknowledges  our  independence,  170 
interview  with  John  Adams,  170 
See  also  the  Revolution 
Germans  in  the  American  Revolution,  157.   See 

also  Hessians 
Gifts  for  the  public  good,  353  (note),  387  (and 

note) 
Government,  of  the  colonies,  44,  47,  50,  62,  70,  73, 
80,  81,  85,  86,  88,  95,  99,  103,  104,  107,  126 
of  cities,  341,  370 
of  states,  330,  371 
of  Northwest  Territory,  172 
of  the  United  States,  170-179,  330-333,  371 
See  also  Colonies,  Confederation,  Congress, 
Constitutions,  Reconstruction,  Secession, 
State   Rights,  State  Sovereignty,  Union, 
and  United  States 


lxxxiv      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Government  offices,  349  (and  note) 

See  also  Civil  Service,  Civil  Service  Reform, 
and  "Spoils  System" 
*  Grand  Model,"  the  (colonial  period),  99 
Grant,  General  U.  S.,  life  of,  292  (note) 

in  Mexican  War,  255 

what  he  said  of  the  Mexican  War,  255  (note) 

in  the  Civil  War,  292,  294,  306,  309-315,  324, 
325>  329 

"unconditional  surrender,"  demands,  294 

takes  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry  (1862),  294 

victory  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  294 

moves  against  Vicksburg,  306 

takes  Vicksburg  (1863),  306-307 

in  Tennessee,  309 

made  general  in  chief  (1864),  309 

and    Sherman's    "hammering    campaign," 
(1864),  310 

advances  on  Richmond,  312 

in  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  310 

sends  Sheridan  to  the  Shenandoah  valley,  314 

siege  of  Petersburg,  312 

takes  Petersburg,  324 

receives  Lee's  surrender  (1865),  325 

his  tribute  to  the  Confederates,  327 

presidency  of,  336 

tomb  of,  368 
Gray,  Captain  Robert,  in  Oregon  (1792),  195 
"Great  American  Desert,"  384 
"Great  Law,"  the  (colonial  period),  103-104 
Greeley,  Horace,  260,  303  (note) 

Lincoln's  letter  to,  303  (note) 
"Green  Mountain  Boys"  (Revolution),  144 
"  Greenbacks "  in  the  Civil  War,  286,  347  (and 
note),  348 

why  so  called,  347  (note) 

become  equal  to  gold,  348 

redeemed  in  gold  (1879),  348 

See  also  Money 
Greene,  General  (Revolution),  166 

in  the  South,  166-167 

helped  by  Mrs.  Steele,  166 

campaign  in  the  Carolinas  166-167 
Guam  (gwam)  annexed,  381 
Guerrhre  (gair-re-air')  taken  by  the  Constitution, 

202.   See  also  Battles 
Guiteau  (ge-toe'),  assassin,  348 

Hague  (hag)  Peace  Conference  Treaty  (1900),  388 

"  Hail  Columbia,"  song,  188 

Haiti  (hay'te),  island  of,  12 

Hale,  Captain  Nathan  (Revolution),  154 

Halleck,  General  (Union),  life  of,  292  (note) 
in  CiviL  War,  287,  292 

Hamilton,"  Alexander,  life  of,  175  (note) 
and  the  Constitution,  175 
first  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  178 
financial  policy  of,  179,  180 
plan  for  paying  national  debt,  179 
established  the  credit  of  the  nation,  179 
and  the  United  States  Bank,  180 
leader  of  the  Federalist  party,  182 
shot  by  Aaron  Burr,  197 

"  Hammering  campaign  "  (Civil  War),  310 

Hancock,  General  (Union),  305 

John  (Revolution),  141,  142,  150,  152 

Hamden,  W.F.,  founder  of  express  system  (1839), 
236  (and  note) 

Harrison,  Benjamin,  life  of,  359  (note) 
presidency  of,  359 

Harrison,  General  W.  H.,  life  of,  244  (note) 
at  Tippecanoe  (181 1),  200 
in  War  of  1812,  204 


Harrison,  General  W.  H.,  his  presidential  cam- 
paign (1840),  245 
presidency  of,  244 
Hartford  Convention,  the  (1814),  208 
Hartford  founded  (1636),  85 
Harvard,  Rev.  John  (colonial  period),  75 
Harvard  University  founded  (1636),  75,  76 
Harvesters  on  great  farms,  264,  340 
Haverhill  attacked  by  Indians  (colonial  period), 

114    - 
Hawaii  (hah-wy'ee)  annexed(i8g8),  378  (and  note) 
Hay,  Secretary  John,  and  China,  388,  399 
Hayes,  R.  B.,  life  of,  345  (note) 
his  election  disputed,  345 
presidency  of,  345 
withdraws  troops  from  South,  345 
vetoes  silver  coinage  bill,  347 
the  silver  coinage  bill  is  passed  over  his  veto, 
347 
Hayne,  senator  from  South  Carolina,  232 

debate  with  Daniel  Webste'r  (1830),  232 
Health  saving,  394,  398 
"  Heaven  helps   those  who   help   themselves," 

131 
Hennepin,  Father,  explorer,  112 
Henry,  Patrick  (Revolution),  137,  140 
Henry  letters,  the  (War  of  1812),  200 
Herkimer  (her'ke-mer),  General  (Revolution),  158 
Hesse  (hes'see),  Germany,  150 
Hessians  (hes'shuns)  (Revolution),  150,  155.   See 

also  Germans 
"  Higher  Law,"  the,  and  slavery,  261 
Historians,  some  American,  238 
Holmes,  O.  W,  poet,  238 
"  Holy  Experiment,"  William  Penn's,  101 
Homestead  Act  (1862),  338,  384.    See  also  Land 

and  Laws 
Hood,  General  (Confederate),  316,  321 
Hooker,  General  (Union),  300,  302,  309 
Hooker,  Rev.  Thomas  (colonial  period),  84 
"Hot  Stuff,"  song  (colonial  period),  121  (and  note) 
Houston  (hoos'tun),  General  Sam,  249 
Howe,  British  general,  144,  145,  146  (and  note), 

153.  i57»  '58,  159.  161,  162  (note) 
Howe,  Lord,  British  admiral,  153,  162  (note) 
Hudson,  Henry,  explorer  (1609),  58,  59 
Hudson  River  named,  58 

Huguenots  (hue'ge-nots),  come  to  America,  25-27 
encounter  with  the  Spaniards,  26-27 
settle  in  Charleston,  98 
illustrious  descendants  of  the,  98 
Hull,  Captain  Isaac  (War  of  1812),  202 
Hull,  General  William  (War  of  1812),  201,  202 
Hurricane  at  Galveston  (1900),  396 
Hussey  reaper,  the,  264  (note) 
Hutchinson,   Mrs.   Anne   (colonial  period),   74, 

75,82 

Iberville,  founder  of  Mobile  (1701),  113 
Idaho,  252,  359,  360 
Illinois,  163,  173,  237 
Immigrants,  two  classes  of,  243 
Immigration,  242-244 

restrictions  on,  243  (and  note) 

See  also  Chinese  and  Emigration 
Impeachment  of  President  Johnson,  332 
Impressment  of  American  sailors,  196,  201 

given  up,  207 
Improvements,  internal,  234,  245  (note).   See  also 

Canals,  Roads,  Railways,  Telegraph 
Independence,  not  at  first  desired  by  Washington, 
149* 

Declaration  of  (1776),  150,  152 


INDEX 


lxxxv 


Independence,  war  for.  See  Wars 

See  also  the  Declaration,  with  Introduction 
and  Notes,  in  Appendix 
Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia,  150,  152 
Independence  of  America,  secured  (1783),  170 

secured  on  the  sea  (1814),  208 
Independent  character  of  the  colonists,  126,  161, 
162 

treasury  system  (1846),  240,  241  (and  note) 
Indiana,  163,  173 
Indianapolis,  278 
Indians,  why  so  called,  12 

small  number  of,  32 

the  Algonquins  (al-gon'quins),  32 

the  Iroquois  (ir-o-kwoi'),  or  Six  Nations,  32, 
38,  117  (note),  119,  122,  132,  157,  163 

the,  described,  32 

mode  of  life,  33 

moccasins,  snowshoes,  canoes,  33 

their  wampum,  or  money,  34 

tobacco,  29,  39 

mode  of  government,  34,  35 

religion,  35 

character,  35 

totems,  35 

self-control  and  endurance  of  pain,  36 

torture  of  captives,  36 

respect  for  courage,  36 

John  Stark's  adventure  among,  36 

kept  their  treaties,  37,  70,  79,  104  (and  note) 

effect  of  strong  drink  on,  59 

what  they  taught  the  colonists,  37 

influence  of,  on  our  history,  37,  38 

Catholic  missionaries  work  among,  109 

Canadian,  help  the  French,  114 

Iroquois,  help  colonists  against  French,  38, 
119,  132 

in  the  Revolution,  157,  158,  163 

land  cessions  by  the,  59,  60,  117  (note),  183, 
205 

treaties  with  the,  37,  65,  70,  79,  104,  183 
•  wars  with  the,  56,  71,  79,  85,  87  (note),  114- 

116,  120, 122,  123, 157,  183,  200,  205,  210,  236, 
237>  344-   See  also  Wars 

Captain  John  Smith  and  the,  46 

Carver  and  Massasoit  (mas-sa-soif),  70 

Bradford  and  Canonicus,  70,  71 

Eliot's  work  among  the,  76,  79 

King  Philip,  noted  chief,  79 

massacres  by  the,  114,  163,  205 

Mrs.  Dustin  and  the,  115 

Myles  Standi sh  and  the,  71 

Penn  and  the,  101,  104 

Quakers  of  New  Jersey  and  the,  65,  66 

Roger  Williams  and  the,  74,  93,  94 

See  also  Battles,  Coronado,  De  Soto,  Osceola, 
Pequots,  Pocahontas,  Pontiac,  Powhatan, 
Seminoles,  Tecumseh,  Wars 
Indies,  trade  of  Europe  with  (1  sth-i  7th  centuries), 
4,  15,  28,  39,  44 

attempts  to  reach  by  sea,  4-5,  15,  18,  27,  28, 
44,  58 

America  supposed  to  be  part  of,  12 
Indies,  the  West,  why  so  named,  12 

commerce  with  the,  73,  107,  108,  134,  135 
Indigo  culture  in  South  Carolina  (colonial  pe- 
riod), TOO 
"  Industrial  Army,"  Coxey's  (1894),  364 
Ingle,  Captain  (colonial  period),  90 
Initiative  in  legislation,  371  (note) 
Insurrection  of  slaves  (1831),  229 
Intemperance  in  early  times,  224.    See  also  Pro- 
hibition and  Temperance 


"  Internal  improvements,"  234,  245  (note).  See 
also  Canals,  Railways,  Roads,  Telegraph 

Interstate  Commerce  Act  (1887),  358.  See  also 
Laws 

"  Intolerable  Acts,"  the  (1774),  140.  See  also  Laws 
of  Parliament 

Inventions,  184,  185  (note),  197,  222,  223,  247,  248 
(and  note),  249  (note),  263,  264  (and  note),  291 
(note),  343,  361,  362  (note),  393.  See  also  Cotton 
Gin,  Electricity,  Exhibitions,  Harvesters,  Mow- 
ers, Patents,  Printing  Press,  Reapers,  Steam- 
boats, Steam  Shovels,  Telegraph,  Telephone 

Irish,  Scotch-,  in  the  colonies,  82,  124 

Iron  and  steel  manufacture,  121,  185  (note),  352, 
357,  367 

Iroquois  (ir-o-kwoi')  Indians,  32.  See  also  In- 
dians 

Irrigation  of  desert  lands,  242,  339  (note),  384 
(note),  385,  395 

Irving,  Washington,  237 

Islands  owned  by  the  United  States,  381 

Isthmian  Canal,  22,  388,  389,  393.  See  also 
Canals 

Jackson,  General  Andrew,  life  of,  226 

victory  at  Tohopeka,  205 

victory  at  New  Orleans  (1815),  207 

victory  over  the  Seminoles,  2 1 1 

presidency  of,  226 

his  removals  from  office,  227 

and  the  "  spoils  system,"  227-228 

and  the  United  States  Bank,  230 

and  nullification,  234 

and  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  234 
Jackson,   "Stonewall"  (Confederate),  255,  288, 

298,  302 
Jamestown,  Virginia,  settled  (1607),  45 

colony  of,  45-58 

burned  by  Bacon  (1676),  57 
Japan,  M.  C.  Perry's  treaty  with  (1854),  264 

peace  with,  399 

emigration  from,  to  America,  243 

treaty  with  Russia  (1905),  396 

agreement  made  with  (1908),  399 
Jasper,  Sergeant  (Revolution),  149 
Jay,  John,  first  chief  justice,  178 

treaty  with  England  (1795),  187 
Jefferson,  Thomas,  life  of,  191  (note) 

drafts  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  152 

first  Secretary  of  State,  178 

presidency  of,  191 

his  removals  from  office,  192 

purchases  province  of  Louisiana  (1803),  193 

greatly  loved  by  his  slaves,  198 

what  he  said  about  slavery,  198 

leader  of  the  Democrats,  191  (note) 

his  epitaph  by  himself,  191  (note) 
Jerry,  fugitive  slave,  rescued,  261 
Jesuit  missionaries  in  the  West,  109 
Jews  forbidden  to  vote  (colonial  period),  95 
"John  Brown's  body,"  song,  273 
Johnson,  Andrew,  life  of,  328  (note) 

becomes  President,  328 

quarrels  with  Congress,  330,  332 

impeached  but  acquitted,  333 
Johnston,  General  A.  S.  (Confederate),  304 
Johnston,  General  J.  E.  (Confederate),  286 (note), 

306,  310,  316,  324,  327 
Joliet  (jo'le-et)  and  Marquette's  (mar-ket')  expe- 
dition (1673),  109 
Jones,  Captain  Paul  (Revolution),  153,  159  (note), 

164 
Jury,  trial  by  (colonial  period),  126 


lxxxvi      LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Kalb,  Baron  de  (Revolution),  157 

Kansas  and  Nebraska  Act  (1854),  265.    See  also 
Laws 

Kansas,  struggle  for,  266 

song  of  the  "  Kansas  emigrant,"  266 

John  Brown  in,  267 

civil  war  in,  267 

enters  as  a  free  state,  268 

Kansas  City,  278 

Kearney  (kar'ne),  General  (Mexican  War),  254 

Kearsarge  (keer-sarj')  sinks  the  Alabama,  312. 
See  also  Battles 

Kenesaw  (ken'e-saw)  Mountain,  316.     See  also 
Battles 

Kentucky,  Daniel  Boone  in,  183 

Kentucky  and  Virginia  Resolutions  (1798,  1799), 
189 

Kerosene,  271.   See  also  Petroleum 

King  Philip's  war  (1675),  79,  87  (note).    See  also 
Wars 

Knights  of  Labor,  origin  of  (1869),  354 

Know  Nothing  party,  262  (note).   See  also  Polit- 
ical Parties 

Knox,  General  (Revolution),  148 

Kosciusko  (kos-se-us'ko),  General  (Revolution), 

■  Ku  Klux  Klan  "  (period  of  reconstruction),  340 
Kurihama  (kur-e-ham'a),  Japan,  265 

Labor,  Knights  of,  origin  of  (1869),  354 
Bureau  of  (1884),  355 
Alien   Contract  Act  (1885),   351.    See   also 

Laws 
American  Federation  of,  origin  of  (1886),  355 

Protection  of  American,  351 
)epartment  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  355 

(and  note) 
efforts  to  secure  industrial  peace,  390  (and 

note),  395 
advantage  of  free  negro,  302,  330 
employments  of  women,  360 
Coxey  "  Industrial  Army,"  364 
disputes  and  strikes,  346 
See  also  Strikes 
Labor-saving  machines,  263,  342,  343,  361,  368. 

See  also  Inventions  and  Patents 
Lafayette  (lah-fay-et')  in  the  Revolution,  157,  160, 
167,  168 
revisits  the  United  States  (1824),  217 
Congress  gives  land  to,  218 
Daniel  Webster's  tribute  to,  218  (note) 
school  children  erect  monument  to,  219 
Land,  in  the  colonies,  44,  45,  48.  See  also  Charters 
gift  of,  in  Virginia,  to  settlers,  48 
cessions  of,  by  the  Indians,  59,  60,  117  (note), 

183,  205 
Roger  Williams  denies  right  of  king  to  grant, 

74 
foreign  cessions  of,  to  the  United  States, 

193 
cessions  of,  to  the  nation  by  states,  172 
claims  to,  by  states,  87,  98,  106,  172 
cheap  public,  338,  384,  400 
free  public,  338,  384 
grants  of,  under  Homestead  Act  (1862),  338, 

384,    .       . 
speculation  in,  230,  240 
government  grants  of,  to  railways,  336 
the  chief  source  of  wealth,  385,  395 
irrigation  of  desert,  242,  385,  395 
drainage  of  swamps,  395 
efforts  to  save  and  improve,  395 
See  also  Agriculture,  Farms,  Forests 


La  Salle  (lah  sal'),  French  explorer  (1679),  no-113 

explores  the  Mississippi  (1682),  112 

takes  possession  of  Louisiana  (1682),  112 
■  Latter  Day  Saints,"  241.   See  also  Mormons 
Laurens  (law'renz),  Henry,  98 
Law,  colonists  protected  by  the  common,  126 

the  "  Higher,"  261 
Laws  of  colonial  period,  how  made,  52,  55,  66, 
7°.  73,  85,  86,  90,  95,  99,  103,  126 

the  "  Bacon  Laws  "  in  Virginia,  57 

"  Scripture  laws  "  in  New  England,  86 

New  England  Confederation  (1643),  76 

Toleration  Act  in  Maryland  (1649),  90,  91 

toleration  in  Rhode  Island,  95 

Connecticut  laws,  86 

New  Haven  laws,  86 

"Great  Law"  of  Pennsylvania  (1682),  103 

restrictive  laws  of  Georgia,  107 

military  rule  in  Virginia,  47,  48 

severe  laws  in  colonies,  47,  48,  86,  130 

the  "  Grand  Model "  in  Carolinas,  99 

See  also  Constitutions 
Laws  of  Parliament,  55 

Navigation  Acts  (1660),  55,  126,  134,  135 

Writs  of  Assistance  (1763),  135 

Stamp  Act  (1765),  137 

Declaratory  Act  (1766),  138 

Townshend  Acts  (1767),  138 

Duty  on  tea  (1773).  *39 

the  "  Intolerable  Acts"  (1774),  140 

act  closing  port  of  Boston  (1774),  140 

act  depriving  Massachusetts  of  self-govern- 
ment (1774),  140 

the  Transportation  Act  (1774),  140  (note) 

the  Quebec  Act  (1774),  140  (notes) 
Laws,  United  States  and  state,  191  (note) 

Religious  Freedom  Act  (Virginia,  1785),  191 
(note),  199  (note) 

Ordinance  for  Northwest  Territory  (1787), 
170,  172,  211 

first  tariff  (1789),  179.   See  also  Tariff 

Tonnage  Act  (i789)>  179  4 

first  census  (1790),  180 

first  United  States  Bank  (1791),  180 

first  mint  (1792),  180 

first  Fugitive  Slave  Act  (1793),  174  (note) 

Alien  and  Sedition  Acts  (1798),  189 

Embargo  Act  (1807),  196 

importation  of  slaves  prohibited  (1808),  198 

Non- Intercourse  Act  (:8c>9),  196 

Missouri  Compromise  Act  (1820),  213 

National  Road  Act  (1825),  215 

annexation  of  Texas  (1845),  249 

second  Fugitive  Slave  Act  (1850),  260,  261 

compromise  measures  (1850),  260,  261 

Maine  Prohibition  Act  (185 1),  225 

Kansas-Nebraska  Act  (1854),  265 

Homestead  Act  (1862),  338,  384 

National  Bank  Acts  (1863),  286 

Proclamation  of  Emancipation  (1863),  301 

Freedmen's  Bureau  Act  (1865),  331  (note) 

Civil  Rights  Acts  (1866),  331  (note) 

District  of  Columbia  Franchise  Act  (1867),  33 1 
(note) 

Reconstruction  Acts  (1867-1868),  331 

Tenure  of  Office  Act  (1867),  333 

■  Force  Act"  (1871),  340 

New  Coinage  Act  (1873),  342 

Bland  Silver  Coinage  Act  (1878),  347  (and  note) 

Chinese  Immigration  Acts  (1882,  1888),  243 

Civil  Service  Reform  Act  (1883),  349 

Cheap  Postage  Acts  (1883,  1885),  350,  351 

Alien  Contract  Labor  Act  (1885),  351 


INDEX 


Ixxxvn 


Laws,  Presidential  Succession  Act  (1886),  358 
Interstate  Commerce  Act  (1887),  358 
Electoral  Count  Act  (1887),  358 
Australian  or  Secret  Ballot  Act  (1889),  363 
New  Pension  Act  (1890),  360 
Sherman  Silver  Purchase  Act  (1890),  360 
restriction  of  negro  suffrage  (1890-       ),  333, 

371 
Immigration  Act  (1891),  243 
repeal  of  Sherman  Silver  Purchase  Act  (1893), 

364 

Initiative  and  Referendum  Act  (1898),  371 

Spanish  War  Revenue  Act  (1898),  374 

annexation  of  Hawaii  (1898),  380 

Gold  Standard  Act  (1900),  388 

National  Irrigation  Act  (1902),  339  (note) 

Railway  Rate  Act  (1906),  358,  397 

Pure  Food  and  Drug  Act  (1906),  398 

Meat  Inspection  Act  (1906),  398 
Lee,  General  Charles  (Revolution),  154,  155,  162 
Lee,  Richard  H.  (Revolution),  150 
Lee,  Robert  E.  (Confederate),  life  of,  285  (note) 

in  Mexican  War,  254 

takes  command  of  Confederate  forces,  297 

in  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  300 

in  battle  of  Antietam,  300 

in  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  302 

in  battle  of  Gettysburg,  304 

guards  Richmond,  310,  312 

surrenders  to  Grant,  322,  323,  325 

applies  for  pardon,  330 

his  advice  to  the  South  after  the  war,  330 
Legislative  assembly,  first  in  America  (1619),  52 
Leif  (life)  Ericson  discovers  America  (1000),  2-3 

called  "  Leif  the  Lucky,"  3 
Leopard and  Chesapeake,  196.   See  also  Battles 
Letter,  Franklin's  to  Strahan,  146 

Lincoln's  to  Greeley,  303  (note) 
Letters,  the  Henry  (War  of  1812),  200 
Lewis  and  Clark's  expedition  (1804-1806),  194, 

392 

Lexington,  battle  of  (Revolution),  142.    See  also 

Battles 
Liberator  1  Garrison  publishes  the  (183 1),  228 
Liberty,  political,  in  the  colonies,  45,  50,  52,  54, 
55,  57,  58,  62,  66,  69,  70,  73,  80,  81,  83,  85,  86, 
88,  90,  95,  97,  99,  103,  107,  126 

religious,  in  the  colonies,  62,  63,  72,  81,  90, 
91,  95,  iqi  (note) 

in  England,  66,  67 

See  also  Suffrage  and  Roger  Williams 
Liberty,  statue  of,  357 
"Liberty  Bell"  (Revolution),  152 
"  Liberty  and  union,"  330 
Library  of  Congress,  368 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  early  life  of,  273  (note) 

in  Congress,  252  (note) 

his  "Spot  Resolutions"  (1847),  252  (note) 

elected  President  (i860),  273 

presidency  of,  280 

inaugural  address,  281 

his  cabinet,  281  (note) 

first  call  for  volunteers,  283 

second  call  for  volunteers,  298 

his  letter  to  Horace  Greeley,  303  (note) 

emancipates  the  slaves  (1863),  301 

assassinated  (1865),  325 
Linen,  colonial  manufacture  of,  82 
Liquor,  use  of,  59,  73,  107,  108,  224.    See  also 

Prohibition  and  Temperance 
Literature,  colonial,  131,  150 

rise  of  modem  American,  237,  238  (and  note) 

influence  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  261 


Literature,  poems  and  songs  relating  to  Ameri- 
can history,  10  (note),  143,  188,  204  (note),  207, 
238  (and  note),  245,  249  (note),  255  (note) 
Loans,  government  (Civil  War),  285 
Locomotive,  the,  invented  in  England,  222 

first  American  (1830),  223 
"  Log-cabin  candidate,  the  "  (1840),  245 
London  Company  (colonial  period),  44,  45 
Londonderry,  New  Hampshire  (colonial  period), 

Longfellow,  H.  W.,  238 

Louisburg  taken  (1745),  115.   See  also  Battles 

Louisiana,  origin  of  name,  112 

claimed  by  the  French  (1682),  112 
purchased  by  the  United  States  (1803),  193. 
211,381 
Louisiana   Purchase  Exhibition,  392.    See  also 

Exhibitions 
Louvre  (loo'vr),  Paris,  219 
Lowell,  city  of,  185 

Lowell,  Francis  C,  manufacturer,  185 
Lowell,  James  R.,  poet,  238 
Loyalists  or  Tories  (Revolution),  141,  149,  157, 

163 
Lyon,  General  (Union),  287 

McClellan,  General  (Union),  287, 289,  297, 298, 300 

what  he  taught  his  army,  289 
McCormick  reaper,  the  (1834),  264  (note) 
McDowell,  General  (Union),  287 
Macdonough's  victory  (War  of  1812),  206.    See 

also  Battles 
Machines,  American  labor-saving,  263,  361 

changes  effected  by,  342,  343 

exports  of,  368 

See  also  Inventions  and  Patents 
McKinley,  William,  life  of,  366  (note) 

presidency  of,  366 

assassinated,  390 
Madison,  James,  life  of,  199  (note) 

his  work  on  the  Constitution,  199  (note) 

presidency  of,  199 
Magellan  (ma-jel'lan),  Strait  of,  18 

voyage  round  the  world  (1519),  18 
Mahan  (ma-han'),  Captain,  378 
Maine,  Popham  colony  in  (1607),  82 

permanently  settled  (1625),  82 

united  with  Massachusetts,  82 

and  the  Missouri  Compromise,  214 

enters  the  Union  (1820),  214 

boundary  dispute  with  England,  246 

passed  first  prohibitory  liquor  law  (185 1),  225 
Maine,  the,  destroyed  (1898),  373 
Manhattan  Island  purchased  (1626),  59 
Manifesto  (man-e-fes'to),  the  Ostend  (1854),  372 
Manufactures  (colonial  period),  82,  106,  125 

English  restrictions  on,  125 

of  cotton  in  Rhode  Island  (1790),  184 

effect  of  cotton  gin  on  (1793),  184,  185,  212 

of  nails  (1790),  185  (note) 

effect  of  the  embargo  on  (1807),  196 

effect  of  War  of  18 12  on,  208 

first  complete  cotton  mill  (1814),  185 

woolen  mills,  208 

of  iron  and  steel,  121 

protection  of  American,  208,  23 1 

enormous  growth  of  American,  185,  352 

exports  of  American,  367,  368 

See  also  Tariff  and  Trusts 
Map  of  America,  the  first  (1507),  19  (note) 
March  to  the  sea,  Sherman's,  320 
"  Marching  through  Georgia,"  song,  320  (note) 
Marco  Polo  (po'lo),  4 


lxxxviii   LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Marietta,  Ohio,  settled  (1788),  183 

Marion  (mar'e-on),    General   (Revolution),   99, 

164,  167 
Marquette  (mar-ket/),  French  explorer,  109 
Maryland,  settled  by  Catholics  (1634),  89 

political  and  religious  liberty  in,  90 

Toleration  Act  (1649),  90,  91 

Catholics  of,  deprived  of  their  rights,  91 

and  destruction  of  tea  (Revolution),  139 

and  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,  92,  93 
"  Maryland,  my  Maryland,"  song,  300 
Mason  and  Dixon's  Line  (1763-1767),  92,  93 
Mason  and  Slidell  (sly-del')  captured  (Civil  War), 

290 
Massachusetts  Bay  Company,  the,  72 

first  charter  of  (1629),  72 
Massachusetts  Colony,  Boston  settled  (1630),  72 

Puritan  rule  in,  73,  76,  78,  80 

education  in,  75-76 

war  with  Indians,  79,  87  (note) 

becomes  a  royal  province  (1684),  80 

second  charter  of  (169 1),  81 

See  also  Colonies,  Pilgrims,  Plymouth,  and 
Puritans 
Massacre,  the  Boston  (Revolution),  138 

at  Cherry  Valley  (Revolution),  163 

at  Wyoming,  163 

See  also  Indian  Wars 
Massasoit  (mas-sa-soif),  Indian  chief,  70,  79,  93 
Matches  come  into  use  (1836),  249  (note) 
Mayflower  the,  sails  (1620),  69 

at  Cape  Cod,  69 

at  Plymouth,  69,  70 
Meade,  General  (Union),  304 
Meat  Inspection  Act  (1906),  398.    See  also  Laws 
Meeting,  town  (colonial  period),  70,  73,  126 
Menendez  (men-en'dez)  in  Florida,  26 
Meridian  destroyed  (Civil  War),  309 
"  Merit  system,"  the,  349 

Merrimac  or  Virginia  destroys  United  States 
war  ships,  290 

battle  with  the  Monitor,  290 
Merritt,  General  (war  with  Spain),  378 
Mexican  land  cessions,  255 

what  we  paid  for,  255  (note) 
Mexican  War,  the  (1846),  252 

results  of  the,  255 

See  also  Battles  and  Wars 
Mexico  conquered  by  Cortez  (15 19),  22 

declares  itself  independent  of  Spain  (1824), 
372  (note) 

Texas  breaks  away  from  (1836),  249 

See  also  Texas 
Michigan,  173.   See  also  Detroit 
Miles,  General  (war  with  Spain),  378 
Milwaukee,  278 
Mines,  31,  395.    See  also  Coal,  Copper,  Gold, 

Iron,  Silver 
Minneapolis,  278 
Minnesota,  173 
Mint,  United  States,  established  (1792),  180 

decimal  system  of  coinage  adopted,  180 
Minuit  (min'u-it),  Governor,  59 
"Minutemen"  (Revolution),  141 
Miquelon  (me-ke-lonO,  island  of,  123 
Missionaries,  Catholic,  in  the  West,  109 
Mississippi  River  discovered  (1541),  23-24 

explored  by  the  French  (1673- 1682),  109-113 

fortified  by  the  French,  113,  117 

Law's  "  Mississippi  scheme  "  (1717),  113 

in  the  Civil  War,  295,  296,  308 

chief  mouth  of,  deepened  (1879),  346 

productive  power  of  valley  of  the,  113 


Me 


Missouri  Compromise,  the  (1820),  213 
set  aside  (1854),  266,  268,  269 

Missouri  enters  as  a  slave  state  (1821),  213 

Mobile  founded  (1701),  113 

Farragut  enters  harbor  of  (Civil  War),  318 

Modocs  (mo'docs),  Indian  tribe,  344 

Money,  Indian,  35 

tobacco  used  for  (colonial  period),  48 
some  coined  by  Massachusetts  colony,  80 
Spanish  dollars  (colonial  period),  135 
paper,  of  the  Revolution,  156,  171 
japer,  in  1783,  171 

lorris  raises,  for  Washington  (Revolution), 
156,  168 
first  United  States  Bank  established  (1791), 

180 
first  mint  established  (1792),  180 
decimal  system  of  coinage  adopted,  180 
first  tariff  to  raise  (1789),  179 
how  raised,  for  war  for  the  Union,  285,  286 
"greenbacks"  issued  (Civil  War),  286,  341, 

342,  348 
specie  payment  resumed  (1879),  348 
silver  question,  the,  342,  347,  360,  361,  364 
gold  standard  adopted  (1900),  388 
Wall  Street,  the  money  center  of  America,  370 
See  also  Banks,  Coinage,  Dollar,  Free  Silver, 
Gifts,  Gold,  "  Greenbacks,"  Mint,  Panics, 
Savings  Banks,  Silver,  Specie,  Wealth 

Monitor  and  Merrimac  (Civil  War),  290.     See 
also  Battles 

Monroe,  James„life  of,  209  (note) 
presidency  of,  209 
inaugural  address,  209 
"Era  of  Good  Feeling,"  210 

Monroe  Doctrine,  the  (1823),  2x7 

Montcalm  (mont-kahm'),  General,  at  Quebec,  121 

Montgomery,  General  (Revolution),  146,  148 

Montreal  named,  22 

Morgan,  General  (Revolution),  160  (and  note) 

Morgan's  raid  (Confederate),  308 

Mormons,  rise  of  the  (1830),  241 
build  Nauvoo  (1840),  241 
emigrate  to  Utah  (1847),  242 
build  Salt  Lake  City  (1847),  242 
what  they  accomplished  there,  242 
renounce  polygamy  (1890),  242 

Morris,  Robert  (Revolution),  156,  168 

Morristown,  Washington  at  (Revolution),  157, 165 

Morse,  Professor,  life  of,  247  (note) 
invents  the  telegraph,  247 
See  also  Telegraph 

Mortar  boats  (Civil  War),  296 

Morton,  Dr.,  demonstrates  use  of  ether(i846), 
248 

Motley,  historian,  238 

Motor  car,  or  automobile,  344 

Moultrie,  Colonel  (Revolution),  149 

Moultrie,  Fort,  149.   See  also  Forts 

Mowing  machines  invented  1,1834),  263-264  (and 
note) 

"  Mugwumps,"  354  (note) 

Murder  of  Presidents,  325,  348,  390 

Nail  machine  (1790),  185  (note) 
Napoleon  and  the  United  States,  103,  200 
National  banks,  286.   See  also  Banks 
National  parks,  394 

National  Road,  215,  216.   See  also  Roads 
Natural  gas,  272 

Nauvoo  (naw-vooO,  Mormon  city,  241 
Navigation  laws  (colonial  period),  56,  80, 134, 135. 
See  also  Laws 


INDEX 


lxxxix 


Navy,  of  the  Revolution,  153,  164 

in  1798-1799,  188,  193 

in  i8or,  193 

in  War  of  1812,  202,  204,  206 

what  the  London  Times  said  about  it,  202 

in  the  Civil  War,  289,  290,  291,  294,  295,  296, 
312,  318 

Confederate  war  vessels,  289 

our  new  navy  (1884  to  present  time),  360  (and 
note) 

in  the  war  with  Spain,  374,  376,  377,  378, 
383 

cruise  of  our,  'round  the  world  (1907),  360, 
398 

total  number  of  vessels  in  our,  360  (note) 

See  also  Battles,  Blockade,  Wars 
Negro  slavery  introduced  (1619),  52. 

and  Dred  Scott  decision  (1857),  269 

See  also  Slavery- 
Negroes,  emancipated  (1863),  301 

and  the  last  three  constitutional  amendments, 
333 

become  voters  and  lawmakers,  332 

effects  of  their  action  in  the  South,  332,  340 

power  to  vote  restricted,  331,  333 

privileges  of  to-day,  341 

what  Booker  T.  Washington  says  about,  341 

the  "Solid  South"  and  the,  346 

progress  made  by  the,  353 

property  owned  by  the,  353 

their  progress  in  education,  353 

See  also  Anti-Slavery,  Emancipation,  Freed- 
men,  and  Slavery 
Neutrality,  Washington's  proclamation  of  (1793), 
182 

expressed  in  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  217 
New  Amsterdam  (New  York),  60 
New  England  Confederation  (1643),  76 

commerce  of  (colonial  period),  134,  135 

in  the  Revolution,  137, 138,  139, 140,  141, 142, 
143,  144,  145,  146,  148,  150,  152 

discontent  of,  in  1807,  196 

opposes  War  of  1812,  201,  209 

in  Hartford  Convention  (18 14),  208 
New  England  Aid  Society  and  Kansas  (1854),  266 
New  Hampshire  settled  (1627),  82 

suffrage  in  the  colony,  83 

temporarily  united  with  Massachusetts,  83 

manufacture  of  linen  at  Londonderry,  82 
New  Haven  founded  (1638),  86 
New  Jersey  claimed  by  the  Dutch  (1617),  64 

settled  by  the  English  (1664),  65 

Quaker  policy  in,  65 

great  prosperity  of,  66 

becomes  a  royal  colony,  66 
New  Mexico,  conquest  of,  254  ;  state,  404 
New  Netherland  claimed  by  the  Dutch  (1614),  59 

Manhattan  Island  purchased  (1626),  59 

Patroons  in,  60-62 

seized  by  the  English  (1664),  63-64 

name  changed  to  New  York  (1664),  64 

Erivileges  granted  to,  by  the  English,  63 
ee  also  New  Amsterdam,  New  York,  Pa- 
troons, and  Peter  Stuyvesant 
New  Orleans  (or'le-anz),  founded  (1718),  113 
fortified  by  the  French,  117 
battle  of  1815,  207.   See  also  Battles 
taken  by  Farragut  (Civil  War),  295-296 
commerce  of,  347,  351 
cotton  exhibition  at,  351 
Captain  Eads'  great  work  for,  346,  347  (and 

note) 
progress  of  the  city,  278,  351,  352 


New  Sweden  or  Delaware  settled  (1638),  96 

seized  by  the  Dutch,  97 

seized  by  the  English,  97 

See  also  Delaware 
"New  West,"  365,  383-385.   See  also  the  West 
New  York  settled  (1614),  59-64.    See  also  New 

Netherland 
New  York  City,  purchase  of  Manhattan  Island 
(1626),  59-60 

historic  streets  of,  63,  64 

first  school  in  (1633),  75 

named  (1664),  64 

in  1763,  125 

in  the  Revolution,  137,  139,  152,  153,  154,  165, 
168 

adoption  of  the  Constitution  by,  174,  175 

capital  of  the  United  States,  177 

Washington  inaugurated  in  (1789),  177 

first  Congress   under  the   Constitution    in, 

and  the  Erie  Canal  (1825),  219-222 

assessed  value  of  land  of,  60 

commerce  of,  63 

business  and  money  center  of  America,  63, 
369,  370 

Statue  of  Liberty  in  harbor  of,  357 

bridges  and  tunnels  of,  349,  350 

wealth  of,  60 

notable  buildings  in,  368,  369 

great  aqueduct  of,  369 

Central  Park,  394 

"  Greater  New  York,"  368 

population  of,  368 
Newspaper,  the  first  in  America  (1704),  125  (note) 

the  first  daily  (1784),  125  (note) 

the  first  in  the  West  (1793),  183 

attacks  on  President  Washington,  187 

first  cheap  daily  (1833),  238 

how  printed  to-day,  263,  264 
Nicaragua  (ne-ka-rah'gwa)  Lake,  388 
Non-Intercourse  Act  (1809),  196.   See  also  Laws 
North  Carolina,  99.   See  also  Carolinas 
North,  Lord  (Revolution),  169 
North,  uprising  of  the  (Civil  War),  283 

Confederates  invade  the  (Civil  War),  304,  3 14, 
326 
Northmen  discover  America  (1000),  2-3 
Northwest  Territory,  172 

Ordinance  for  government  of  (1787),  170, 172, 
211 
Nova  Scotia  named  (colonial  period),  115 
Novelists,  early  American,  237,  238 
Nueces  (nway'seez)  River,  252 
Nullification  (Virginia  and  Kentucky  Resolutions, 
1798,  1799),  189 

in  South  Carolina  (1832),  231,  232,  234 

Oath,  Quakers  refuse  to  take,  78 

the  President's,  178 

what  Lincoln  said  about  his,  281 

of  allegiance  after  the  Civil  War,  330 
Office,  removals  from,  by  Presidents,  227,  228. 
See  also   Civil  Service   Reform  and  "Spoils 
System  " 
Oglethorpe,  governor  of  Georgia  (1733))  i°6 
Ohio,  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  183 

first  settlement  in  (1788),  183 

Cincinnati  founded  (1790),  183 

Indian  wars  in,  183 
Ohio  Company,  the  first  (1748),  117 
Oil,  cotton-seed,  352  (and  note) 
Oil  well  first  bored  in  Pennsylvania  (1859),  271. 
See  also  Petroleum 


xc 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Oklahoma,  opened  to  settlement,  359 

rapid  growth  of,  359 
"Old  Bullion,"  230  (note) 
"Old  Hickory,"  227  (note) 
Old  North  Church  (Revolution),  142 
Old  South  Meeting  House  (Revolution),  139 
Omaha,  279 

exhibition  at,  383 
"Open  Door"  in  China,  388 
"  Opportunity,"  America  means,  39,  400 
Ordinance  for  government  of  Northwest  Terri- 
tory (1787),  170,  172,  211 
Oregon,  discovered  by  Drake  (1579),  27 

Captain  Gray  in  (1792),  195 

our  claim  to,  195,  211,  250 

was  held  jointly  by  us  and  England,  250 

Dr.  Whitman  and,  250,  251 

treaty  with  England  concerning  (1846),  250, 
252 
Oregon,  the,  in  war  with  Spain,  376 
Oriskany  (o-ris'ka-ny)  in  Revolution,  158 
Osawatomie  (os-a-wat'o-me),  Kansas,  267 
Osceola  (os-e-o'lah),  Indian  chief,  236 
Ostend  Manifesto  (1854),  372 
Otis,  General  (war  with  Spain),  381 
Otis,  James  (colonial  period),  135,  137 

Pacific,  discovered  by  Balboa  (15 13),  21 

named  by  Magellan  (1520),  18 

explorers  and  colonists  search  for  the,   19, 
44,  46 

extension  of  the  United  States  to  the  (1848), 
255 

pony  express  to  the  (i860),  336 

stagecoach  line  to  the  (1862),  336 

railway  completed  to  the  (1869),  336 

telegraph  line  to  the  (1869),  336 

telegraph  cable  across  the  (1902),  334,  391 

our  possessions  in  the,  378,  380 

the,  and  the  Panama  Canal,  388,  389 

agreement  to  maintain  peace  in  the,  399 
Paine's  "Common  Sense"  (Revolution),  150 
Pakenham  (pak'en-ham)    General,  British  (War 

of  18 12),  207 
Palo  Alto  (pah'lo  ahl'to),  252 
Palos  (pah'los),  Spain,  8 
Panama  Canal,  22,  388,  389,  393,  403 
Pan-American  Exhibition  ^1901),  389 
Panics,  business  and  financial,  239 

of  1837,  239-240 

of  1857,  269 

of  1873,  342 

of  1893,  364 

of  1894,  365 

of  1907,  397 
Paper  money,  156,  171,  180,  286,  341,  342,  348. 

See  also  Banks  and  Money 
"  Papers,  the  X.  Y.  Z."  (1797),  188 
Pardon,  solicited  by  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  330 

proclamations  of  (reconstruction  period),  330, 
333 
Parkman,  historian,  238 
Parks  in  cities,  394 

national,  394 
Parties,  rise  of  political,  180,  182,  238,  266,  404. 

See  also  Political  Parties 
Pascua  (pass'koo-ah)  Florida,  21 
Patent  Office  Centennial  (1891),  361 
Patents,  number  of,  361.   See  also  Inventions 
Patroons  (pa-troonz')  in  New  Netherland,  60-62 
Peabody,  George,  353  (note) 
Peace,  the  victories  of,  246,  252,  364,  365,  366,  388 

the  colonists  wanted,  141 


Peace,  justice  essential  to,  141 

Franklin  on,  146,  193 

Jefferson  on,  193 

"  Let  us  have  peace,"  368 

the  Hague  Peace  Conference  Treaty  (1900), 
388 

America  on  the  side  of,  396,  403 

efforts  to  diminish  wars,  396,  403 

agreement  to  maintain,  in  the  Pacific,  399 

See  also  Arbitration,  Disputes,  Treaties,  and 
Wars 
Peace,  efforts  to  secure  industrial,  390,  393  (note), 

395.   See  also  Labor  and  Strikes 
Peggy  Stewart,  tea  ship,  burned  (1774),  139 
Pemaquid  (pem'a-quid),  Maine,  82 
Pemberton,  General  (Confederate),  306 
Peninsular  Campaign  (Civil  War),  297.    See  also 

Battles  and  Wars 
Penn,  William,  and  New  Jersey,  65 

and  Delaware,  97 

and  Pennsylvania,  10 1 

his  faith  in  the  "  Golden  Rule,"  101 

See  also  Pennsylvania 
Pennsylvania,  granted  to  Penn,  ioi 

colony  settled  (1681),  101-105 

Philadelphia  founded  (1682),  103 

"Great  Law"  of  (1682),  103,  104 

treaty  with  the  Indians  (1682),  34,  104  (and 
note) 

freedom  of  worship  in,  104 

education  in,  104 

right  to  vote  in,  104 

reformatory  prisons  in,  104 

death  penalty  in,  104 

and  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,  92,  93 

importance  of  Philadelphia,  105,  177 

See  also  Constitution,  Congress,  Coal,  Gettys- 
burg, Iron,  Petroleum,  Philadelphia,  Pitts- 
burg, Revolution 
Pension  Act  of  1890,  360.   See  also  Laws 
Pepperrell  (pep'er-el),  Colonel  (colonial  period), 

115,  n6 
Pequots  (pe'quots),  war  with  the  (colonial  period), 

85 
Perry,  M.  C,  opens  ports  of  Japan  (1854),  264 
Perry,  O.  H.,  victory  on  Lake  Erie  (War  of  181 2), 

204 
Petersburg,  siege  of  (Civil  War),  315 

mine  exploded  at  (Civil  War),  3 1 5 

See  also  Battles 
Petition,  to  the  king  (1774),  141 

right  of,  defended  by  J.  Q.  Adams,  230 
Petitions  to  King  George  III  (Revolution),  141, 
149 

to  abolish  slavery,  229,  230.  See  also  Slavery 
Petroleum  discovered  (1859),  271 

pipe  lines  for  carrying,  272 

Standard  Oil  Company,  272,  357 
Philadelphia  founded  (1682),  103 

historical  importance  of,  105 

captured  by  the  British  (Revolution),  159 

capital  of  the  United  States  (1790),  177 
Philippines  annexed  (1908),  380 

present  condition  of,  382 
Philip's,  King,  war  (1675),  79 
Phips  (rips),  Sir  William,  115,  116  (note) 
Phonograph,  the,  344  (note) 
Pickett's  charge  at  Gettysburg  (Confederate),  305. 

See  also  Battles 
Pictures,  moving,  344  (note) 
Pierce  (purse),  Franklin,  life  of,  262  (note) 

presidency  of,  262 
Pike's  Peak,  278 


INDEX 


xci 


Pilgrims,  or  Separatists,  in  England  and  Holland, 
67 

how  they  differed  from  the  Puritans,  67 

why  they  resolved  to  go  to  America,  68 

voyage  in  the  Mayflower,  69 

make  a  "  law-and-order  "  compact,  69 

land  at  Cape  Cod,  69 

settle  at  Plymouth  (1620),  69 

their  form  of  government,  70 

unite  with  Massachusetts  Colony  (1691),  71 

what  made  them  great,  7 1 

See  also  Plymouth  and  Myles  Standish 
Pilgrims,  Catholic,  in  Maryland  (1634),  89.    See 

also  Maryland 
Pillory  and  stocks  (colonial  period),  130 
Pinckney,  C.  C,  minister  to  France  (1797),  188 
Pipe  lines  for  carrying  oil,  272 
Pitt,  William,  Lord  Chatham  (Revolution),  121, 

136,  138 
Pittsburg,  formerly  Fort  Duquesne,  119,  121 

the  "Gateway  of  the  West,"  117,  119,  121 

named  in  honor  of  Pitt  (1758),  121 

great  manufacturing  center,  121 
Plymouth  Company,  the  (colonial  period),  44,  72 

(note) 
Plymouth  named  by  John  Smith,  69 

settled  by  the  Pilgrims  (1620),  69 
Plymouth  Rock,  70 
Pocahontas  (po-ka-hon'tas),  46 
Poe  (poh),  E.  A.,  poet,  238 

Poems  and  songs  of  American  history,  10  (note), 
143,188, 204(note), 207, 238(note), 245, 249(note), 
255  (note),  291  (note),  298,  300,  308,  314,  315 
Poets,  American,  237,  238 
Pole,  the  North,  discovered,  399 
Poles  in  the  Revolution,  157 
Political  parties,  rise  of  (1791),  180-182 

American  or  "  Know  Nothing,"  262  (note) 

Anti- Federalist,  174,  176,  177,  182 

Democratic-Republican,  182,  191 

Democratic,  182,  191,  245  (note),  274  (note), 
366  (note) 

Federalist,  174,  177,  182 

Free  Soil,  259,  262  (note) 

"  Gold  Democrats,"  366  (note) 

"  Know  Nothing,"  262  (note) 

"  Mugwumps,"  354  (note) 

Populist,  363  (note) 

Progressive,  404 

Republican  (the  original  party,  1792),  182,  274 
(the  modern  party,  1856-        ),  266 

Whig,  219  (note),  238,  245  (and  note),  258,  262 
(note) 
Polk  (poke),  James  K.,  life  of,  250  (note) 

presidency  of,  250 
Polygamy,  241,  242.   See  also  Mormons 
Ponce  de  Leon  and  Florida,  20.  See  also  De  Leon 
Pontiac's  (pon'te-ak)  conspiracy  (1763),  122 
Pope,  General  (Union),  300 
Pope,  the,  divides  the  world  (1494),  13 

praises  American  naval  commanders,  193 
Popham,  colony  of,  Maine  (1607),  82 
Population,  of  the  colonies  in  1763,  124 

of  the  United  States  in  1775,  141 

in  1790,  180 

in  i860  and  1861,  285  (and  note) 

in  1890,  361 

in  1900,  389,  399;  in  1910,  401 

centers  of,  from  1790-1900,  180 

westward  movement  of,  180 

growth  of,  in  cities,  369,  370 

See  also  Census 
*  Populists,"  363  (note) 


Porter,  Commodore  (Union),  296 

Port  Hudson  (Civil   War),  297,  308.    See  also 

Battles 
Portland,  Maine,  82 
Portland,  Oregon,  278 
Porto  Rico  annexed  (1898),  380 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  82 
Postage  (colonial  period),  129 

cheap,  modern,  350 
Potato,  discovery  of  the  (1585),  28,  39 

introduced  into  England,  28 
Pottawatomie  (pot-a-wat'o-me),  267  _ 
Powhatan  (pow-hah-tan'),  Indian  chief,  46 
Preble  (preb'el),  Commodore  (war  with  Tripoli), 

IQ3 
Prescott,  Colonel  (Revolution),  145 
Presidential  election,  the  disputed  (1876),  345,  358 
Presidents  assassinated,  325,  349,  390 
Press,  printing,  the  first  in  the  colonies  (1639),  76 

a  modern,  263,  264 
Printing,  colonial,  76 

modern,  263,  264 
Prisoners  of  war  (Civil  War),  325  (note) 
Prisons  in  Pennsylvania  (colonial  period),  104 
Privateers  in  the  Revolution,  153 
Proclamation  of  rebellion,  George  Ill's  (1775), 
149 

of  neutrality  (1793),  182 

of  emancipation  (1863),  301 

of  pardon  (reconstruction  period),  330,  332 
Prohibition  in  Georgia  (colonial  period),  107,  108 

in  Maine  (185 1),  225 

elsewhere,  225 

See  also  Temperance 
Property  held  in  common  (colonial  period),  45, 
48,  68 

"  This  is  mine,"  48 

See  also  Land,  Money,  and  Wealth 
Protection,  tariff  for,  179.   See  also  Tariff 
Providence  founded  (1636),  94 
Proviso  (pro-vi'zo),  Wilmot  (1846),  259 
Pulaski  (pu-las'ki),  Count  (Revolution),  157 
Pullman  strike,  365.   See  also  Strikes 
Punishments,  severe  (colonial  period),  47,  62,  70, 

78,  86  (note),  130 
Pure  Food  and  Drug  Act  (1906),  398.    See  also 

Laws 
Puritans,  origin  of  the,  54,  67 

religion  of  the,  54,  67,  72 

why  they  came  to-  Massachusetts,  72  (note) 

did  not  believe  in  toleration,  72 

in  Salem  (1628),  72 

founded  Boston  (1630),  72 

colony  and  mode  of  government,  72,  73,  76, 
78,  80 

and  New  England  Confederation  (1643),  76 

action  respecting  Roger  Williams,  74 

banish  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  74 

forbade  Baptists  to  preach,  75 

dealt  severely  with  the  Quakers,  77-79 

established  public  schools  (1647),  75 

the,  in  Maryland,  90 

differed  from  the  Pilgrims,  67 

See  also  Colonies,  Religious  Liberty,  Suffrage 
Putnam,  General  (Revolution),  154 

"  Quaker  guns  "  (Civil  War),  298  (and  note) 
Quakers,  or  Friends,  belief  of  the,  77-78 

in  Massachusetts  (colonial  period),  77-79 

peculiarities  of  the,  77-78 

severely  dealt  with  by  the  Puritans,  77-79 

in  New  Netherland,  62 

buy  New  Jersey,  65 


XC11 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Quakers,  or  Friends,  make  treaties  with  the  In- 
dians, 65,  104 

in  Delaware,  97 

in  Maryland,  90 

found  Pennsylvania,  101 

their  laws,  66,  103 

See  also  William  Penn 
Quebec  founded  (1608),  47 

expedition  against  (colonial  period),  115 

the  English  take  (1759),  121-122 

expedition  against  (Revolution),  146 
Quebec  Act  (1774)*  J4°  (note).   See  also  Laws 

Raids,  Confederate  (Civil  War),  297,  298,  308,  314 

Union  (Civil  War),  309,  314,  324 
Railways,  the  steam  wagon  or  locomotive  (1830), 
222 

first  American  locomotive  (1830),  223 

first  American  railway  (1830),  222-224 

first  transcontinental  railway  (1869),  336 

first  electric  railway  (1884),  344,  350 

Interstate  Commerce  Act  (1887),  358 

Railway  Rate  Act  (1906),  358,  397 

growth  of,  223,  234,  365,  393 

general  effects  of,  223,  224,  337,  394 

effects  of,  on  the  Union,  337 

improvements  in,  393 

consolidation  of,  357 

overbuilding  of  (1869-1873),  342 

strikes  on,  346,  365.   See  also  Strikes 

regulation  of  traffic  on,  358,  398 

total  length  of,  223,  394  (note) 
Rainier  (ray'neer),  Mt.,  394 
Raleigh   (raw'le)   sends   expedition  to  Virginia 
(1584),  28 

plants  a  colony  in  Virginia  (1585),  28 

plants  second  colony  (1587),  30 

was  one  of  the  founders  of  America,  30 
"  Rally  round  the  flag,"  song,  308 
Ranches  (ran'chez),  or  cattle  farms,  339 
Randolph,  John,  214  (note) 
Rapidan  (rap-e-dan')  River,  302 
Reaper,  invention  of  the  horse  (1834),  263,  264 
(and  note) ' 

modern  harvesters,  264,  340 
Rebellion,  Clayborne  and  Ingle's  (1645),  90 

Bacon's  (1676),  57 

George  III  proclaims  colonies  in  (1775),  149 

Shays'  (1786),  171,  172 

Whisky  (1794),  186 

Dorr  (1842),  246 

"  high-water  mark  "  of  the  (1863),  304 
Reciprocity  (res-e-pros'e-ty)  measures,  361  (note) 
Reconstruction  after  the  Civil  War,  330 

methods  of,  330,  331 

laws  relating  to,  331 

the  President  quarrels  with  Congress,  330, 
332,  333 

President  grants  pardons,  330,  332 

effects  of  negro  suffrage  in,  332 

completed  (1870),  340 

troops  withdrawn  from  South,  345 

See  also  Amendments,  Freedmen,  Negroes, 
Representation,  and  Suffrage 
"Red  Cross  Society"  (war  with  Spain),  383  (and 

note) 
Referendum  (ref-er-en'dum)  in  state  legislation, 

371  (note) 
Regicides  in  New  England  (colonial  period),  87 
Religion  in  the  colonies,  74,  90,  95,  104,  125 
Religious  Freedom  Act  (1785),  191  (note),  199  (note) 
Religious  liberty,  66,  67 

none  formerly  in  Europe,  66,  67,  89  (note) 


Religious  liberty,  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  seek  it 
for  themselves,  67,  68 

Puritans  did  not  grant  to  others,  72,  74,  75 
Puritans  required  attendance  at  church,  48,  74 
Puritans  permitted  only  church  members  to 

vote,  73 
denied  to  Baptists,  75 
denied  to  Quakers,  77,  78 
denied  to  Catholics,  72,  81 
later  condition  of,  in  Massachusetts,  81 
in  Connecticut  colony,  86 
none  originally  in  Virginia,  44,48,54, 191  (note) 
condition  in  New  Netherland,  62,  63 
condition  in  New  Hampshire,  82,  83 
enjoyed  in  New  Jersey,  66 
in  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware,  104 
in  Maryland  for  a  time,  90 
in  the  Carolinas,  98 
partial  in  Georgia,  107 
complete  in  Rhode  Island,  95 
condition  in  the  colonies  generally  (1763),  125 
granted  in  the  Northwest  Territory  (1787),  172 
provisions  of  the  Constitution  regarding,  95 
See  also  Catholics,  Pilgrims,  Puritans,  Quak- 
ers, Toleration,  Roger  Williams 
Removals  from  office,  Jefferson's,  227 
Jackson's,  227,  228 

See  also  Civil  Service  Reform  and  "  Spoils 
System  " 
Representation  (colonial  period),  50,  54,  55,  57, 
58,  62,  66,  73,  86,  90,  99,  103,  107,  126 
and  taxation  (Revolution),  136,  137 
in  Parliament,  demanded,  136,  137 
denied  by  England,  136 
found  impracticable,  141 
offered  by  England  (1778),  161 
refused  by  the  United  States  (1778),  161,  162 
in  Congress  (1783-1787),  171 
question   of,    in   framing   the   Constitution 

(1787),  173  (note) 
effect  of  the  census  on  (1790),  179 
and  the  "  Federal  Ratio,"  179 
of  North  and  South,  274  (and  note) 
in  Congress  (1790-1900).    See  Table  in  Ap- 
pendix 
in  period  of  reconstruction,  330,  331,  332,  340 
See  also  Slavery 
Republicans,  first  party  of  that  name  (1792),  182 
or"  Democratic- Republicans"  or  Democrats, 

182 
See  also  Democrats 
Republicans,  origin  of  the  modern  party  (1856),  266 
oppose  the  extension  of  slavery,  266,  274 
condemn  the  John  Brown  raid,  274 
uphold  protective  tariff,  231  (note),  361,  366 
elect  Abraham  Lincoln  (i860),  273 
elect  all  Presidents  (1860-1908)  except  Cleve- 
land (1884,  1892),  353,  363 
"  Mugwumps  "  act  with  the,  354  (note) 
and  silver  question,  347,  366  (note) 
Resaca  (re-sah'ka),  Georgia,  316 
Resaca  de  la  Palma  (ray-sah'ka  da  la  pal'ma),  252 
Resolutions,  Virginia  and  Kentucky  (1798,  1799), 

Lincoln's  "Spot  Resolutions"   (1847),  252 
(note) 
Resources,  natural,  of  United  States,  31,  395,401 

meeting  to  conserve  the  (1908),  395 
Resumption  of  specie  payment  (1879),  348 
Retreat  of  Washington  across  the  Delaware,  155 
Greene's  in  the  Carolinas  (Revolution),  166, 
167 
Revenue  of  United  States,  396  (note) 


INDEX 


xcin 


Revere  (re-veer7),  Paul  (Revolution),  142 
Review,  grand,  close  of  Civil  War  (1865),  329 
Revolution,  the  American,  causes  of,  iss-M1 

protest  against  Writs  of  Assistance,  135 

resistance  to  Stamp  Act,  136,  137 

refusal  to  import  taxed  goods,  139 

destruction  of  tea,  139 

"  minutemen  "  raised,  141 

action  of  Continental  Congress,  141,  144 

Continental  army  raised,  144 

Revolution  becomes  a  war  for  independence, 
150,  152 

England's  action  toward  the,  153 

money  of  the,  156 

unity  of  the  colonies  in  the,  141,  150,  152 

Tories  of  the,  141,  149 

battles  of  the.   See  Battles 

foreign  help  in  the,  157,  160,  161,  168 

treaty  made  with  France  (1778),  160 

navy  in  the,  153,  164 

women  in  the,  166 

England  offers  representation  in  Parliament 
(1778),  161 

United  States  refuses  the  offer  (1778),  161,  162 

end  of  the  war  (1781),  169 

general  summary  of  the,  169 

See  also  John  Adams,  Samuel  Adams,  Bat- 
tles, Franklin,  General  Greene,  Wars,  Gen- 
eral Washington 
Revolver,  invention  of  (1835),  249  (note) 
Rhode  Island  settled  (1636),  94 

entire  religious  liberty  in,  95 

suffrage  restricted  in,  95 

See  also  Roger  Williams 
Rice  introduced  into  South  Carolina  (1693),  99 
Rich  men's  gifts  for  public  good,  353  (note),  387 

(and  note) 
R'ches  of  the  United  States,  386,  395.    See  also 

Wealth 
Richmond,  the  Confederate  capital,  284 

battles  around,  298.   See  also  Battles 

occupied  by  the  Union  army,  324 
"  Right  of  search  "  claimed  by  England,  196,  201 

given  up  by  England,  207,  246 

American  flag  protects  against,  246 
Rights,  Declaration  of  (1765,  1774),  137,  141 

"state,"  189,  232,  234,  274,  277 
"  Ring,"  the  "  Boss"  Tweed,  341 
Riots,  the  Whisky  rebellion  (1794),  186 

the  draft  (Civil  War),  308 

anarchist  at  Chicago,  356 

See  also  Strikes 
Roads  (colonial  period),  129 

Boone's  "  Wilderness  Road,"  183 

Cumberland  of  National  (1811-1836),  215 

progress  westward,  2 1 5 

National  never  completely  finished,  216 
Robertson,  Western  pioneer  (colonial  period),  183 
"  Rock  of  Chickamauga,"  General  Thomas,  308 
Rockefeller  (rock-e-fel'ler),  John  D.,  387  (note) 
Roebling  (ro'bling),  bridge  builder,  349  (note) 
Rolfe  (rolf),  John,  in  Virginia,  46 
Roosevelt   (roze'velt),   Theodore,    life  of,    377 
(note),  393  (note) 

in  war  with  Spain,  377 

elected  Vice  President,  366  (note) 

becomes  President,  390 

is  elected  President,  393 

presidency  of,  393 
Rosecrans(ro'ze-kranz),  General  (Union),  301, 308 
"  Rough  Riders  "  (war  with  Spain),  377 
Rubber,  invention  of  hard  (1844),  249  (note) 
Rum  (colonial  period),  73,  107,  108 


St.  Augustine  (aw'gus-teen)  founded  (1565),  26 

St.  Die  (san  dee-ay'),  17 

St.  Lawrence,  the,  discovered  (1535),  22 

St.  Louis,  117,  278,  392 

St.  Paul,  278 

St.  Pierre  (san  pee-er/),  123 

Salem  settled  (1628),  72 

witchcraft  (1692),  80 
Salt  Lake  City  founded  (1847),  242 

growth  of,  242,  278 
Samoan  (sam-o'an)  Islands  annexed  (1899),  380 
Sampson,  Admiral  (war  with  Spain),  374,  376, 

377 
San  Francisco,  growth  of,  256,  257,  278 

earthquake  at  (1906),  397 
Sanitary  and  Christian  Commission  (Civil  War), 

326 
San  Juan  (san  wan'),  Cuba,  377 
San  Juan  de  Ulua  (oo-loo'ah),  Mexico,  254 
San  Salvador  (sal'va-dor),  island,  12 
Santa  Anna,  Mexican  general,  253 
Santa  Fe  (san'ta  fa')  founded,  254 
Santiago  (san-te-ah'go),  377 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  (soo  sent  ma'ree),  109 
Savannah  founded  (1733),  106 

taken  by  the  British  (Revolution),  163 
taken  by  General  Sherman  (Civil  War),  321 
Savannah,  first  ocean  steamship  (1819),  198 
Savings  banks  established  (1816),  386,  401 
"Scalawags"  (skaKa-wags),  332  (note) 
Schenectady  (ske-nek'tah-de)  (colonial  period), 

114 

Schley  (sly),  Admiral  (war  with  Spain),  374,  376, 

377 
Schools,  in  the  colonies,  75,  130 

public,  established  in  New  Netherland  (1633), 

public,  established  in  Massachusetts  (1635),  75 

common,  established  (1647),  75 

Governor  Berkeley  opposed  to,  54  (note) 

at  the  South,  353  (and  note) 

at  the  West,  172,  384 

gifts  to,  353  (note),  387  (note)      . 

number  of  pupils  in  common,  396 

See  also  Education  and  Colleges 
Schuyler  (sky'ler),  General  (Revolution),  158 
Scientific  discoveries,  modern,  362  (note) 
Scotch-Irish  (colonial  period),  82 
Scott,  General  (War  of  1812),  205 

sent  to  Charleston  (1832),  234 

in  war  with  Mexico,  254-255 

in  Civil  War,  285-286 
"  Sea  of  Darkness,"  the,  2 
Seals,  protection  of,  364 
"Search,  right  of,"  196,  201,  207,  246 
Seattle  (se-at'el),  278 
Secession,  threats  of  (1830),  232 

upheld  as  right,  232 

denounced  by  Webster  (1830),  232 

what  Jackson  said  about,  234 

South  Carolina  secedes  (i860),  274 

ten  other  states  secede,  276,  284 

wlr    he  South  seceded,  277 

slavery  the  real  cause  of,  277  (and  note),  279, 
301 

effect  of  the  Civil  War  on,  330 

See  also  Reconstruction  and  Slavery 
Sedition  Act  (1798),  i8q.   See  also  Laws 
Seminoles  (sem'i-noles)  of  Florida,  210,  236.   See 

also  Indians  and  Wars 
Semmes  (sems),  Captain  (Confederate),  312 
Separatists,  or  Pilgrims,  67 
Sevier  (sev-eer/),  Western  pioneer,  183 


XC1V 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Seward  (sue'ard),  W.  H.,  261,   264  (note),   266 

(note),  281  (note),  335 
Sewing  machines  (1846,  1853),  249  (note),  263 
Shadrach  (shad'rak)  rescued,  261 
Shafter,  General  (war  with  Spain),  377 
Sharpshooters,  in  the  Revolution,  160  (note) 

in  War  of  18 12,  207 
Shays'  Rebellion  (1786),  171-172 
Sheep  and  cattle  ranches,  339,   340.     See  also 

Ranches 
Shenandoah  (shen-an-do'ah)  Valley,  288,  298,  314, 
324 

"Stonewall"  Jackson  in  the  (Civil  War),  288, 
298,  3'5  ,  . 

Early's  raid  in,  312,  314 

Sheridan's  raid  in,  314 
Sheridan,  General  (Union),  life  of,  314  (note) 

raid  in  Shenandoah  Valley,  314 

ride  to  Winchester,  3 1 5 

in  battle  of  Winchester,  315 

raids  around  Richmond,  324 
Sherman,  General  W.  T.,  life  of,  306  (note) 

and  Mexican  War,  255 

in  California,  256 

at  Pittsburg  Landing  (Civil  War),  294 

at  Vicksburg,  306 

in  Tennessee,  309 

raid  on  Meridian,  309 

in  "  Hammering  Campaign,"  310 

advances  on  Atlanta,  3 1 5 

his  march  to  the  sea,  320 

takes  Savannah,  321 

letter  to  President  Lincoln,  321 

announcement  of  Lee's  surrender,  322 

compels  Johnston  to  surrender,  324 

in  grand  review  of  Union  army,  329 
Sherman,  James  S.,  Vice  President,  399 
Sherman,  Roger,  152 
Shiloh  (shi'loh),  294 
Ships  and  shipbuilding  (colonial  period),  125 

"clipper  ships,"  243 

See  also  Navy  and  Steamships 
Shovels,  steam,  393 
Siege  of  Boston  (Revolution),  143 

of  Yorktown  (Revolution),  167-169 

of  Chattanooga  (Civil  War),  308-309 

of  Petersburg  (Civil  War),  312,  315,  324 

of  Vicksburg  (Civil  War),  306 

of  Nashville  (Civil  War),  321 
Sigsbee  (sigz'be),  373 

Silk  production  attempted  in  Georgia,  106 
Silver  coinage  begun  in  United  States  (1792),  180 

mines  found  in  West  (1859),  271 

paper  dollars  take  the  place  of  silver  dollars, 

342 
the  silver  dollar  dropped  (1873),  342 
the  "  dollar  of  our  fathers  "  demanded,  347 
Bland  Purchase  and  Coinage  Act  (1878),  347 

(and  note) 
the  silver  dollar   restored  (1878),   347  (and 

note) 
demand  for  free  coinage  of,  316  (note),  347 
great  fall  in  value  of,  347,  361  (and  note) 
Sherman  Silver  Purchase  Act  (1890),  360 
Sherman  Silver  Purchase  Act  repealed  (1893), 

364 
silver  question  in  politics,  347  (and  note),  360, 

363  (note),  364,  366  (note) 
See  also  Coinage,  Dollar,  Gold,  Laws,  Mint 
Sioux  (soo)  Indians,  344 
Slater,  J.  F.,  philanthropist,  353  (note) 
Slater,   San.uel,   cotton  manufacturer  (colonial 
period),  184 


Slave  trade  in  early  times,  53 

foreign,  prohibited  (1808),  173  (note),  198 
Slavery,  beginning  of,  in  Virginia  (1619),  52 
not  then  thought  wrong,  53 
spreads  through  all  the  colonies,  53 
in  New  Netherland,  62 
temporarily  excluded  from  Georgia,  107 
introduced  into  Georgia,  108 
condemned  by  John  Wesley,  107 
upheld  by  Whitefield,  107,  108 
excluded  from  Northwest  Territory  (1787), 

172 
and  the  Constitution,  173  (notes) 
and  representation  in  Congress,  173  (note) 
and  foreign  slave  trade,  173  (note) 
provision  for  recovering  fugitive  slaves,  174 

(note) 
the  word  "  slave  "  not  in  the  Constitution,  173 

(note) 
Jefferson  opposed  the  extension  of,  198 
Washington  opposed  the  extension  of,  198 
what  Jefferson  said  about,  198,  211 
importation  of  slaves  forbidden  (i8p8),  173 

(note),  198 
fugitive-slave  law  of  1643,  76  (note) 
fugitive-slave  law  of  1787,  172 
fugitive-slave  law  of  1793,  174  (note) 
fugitive-slave  law  of  1850,  260,  261 
resistance  to  Fugitive-Slave  Act  of  1850,  261 
effect  of  cotton  gin  on  (1793-        ),  185,  212 
discussion  of  western  extension  of,  211 
how  it  divided  the  country,  212 
and  the  tariff,  2 1 2 
why  the  South  demanded  extension  of,  213, 

259 

why  the  North  opposed  extension,  212,  259 
"slavery  must  have  room,"  213 
Missouri  Compromise  Act  (1820)  and,  213 
extension  of,  west  of  the  Mississippi,  213 
the  dispute  said  to  be  settled  "forever,"  214, 

215 
"  Doughfaces"  and,  214  (note) 
Garrison  attacks  (1831),  228,  229 
insurrection  of  slaves  (183 1),  229 
Dr.  Channing's  proposition  concerning,  229 

(and  note) 
J.  Q.  Adams  offers  emancipation  petitions, 

229,  230 
"  gag  laws  "  to  prevent  discussion  of,  in  Con- 
gress, 230 
Webster  and  Lincoln  on,  229 
endangered  the  Union,  229,  231,  232 
formation  of  abolition  societies,  229 
Calhoun  declares  it  a  "positive  good,"  231 

(note),  259 
annexation  of  Texas  and  (1845),  249 
Wilmot  Proviso  and  (1848),  259 
question  of  opening   California   and   New 

Mexico  to,  258-260 
compromise  measures  and  (1850),  259 
the  "Underground  Railroad"  and,  261 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  and,  261 
contest  between  freedom  and,  262 
Kansas-Nebraska  Act  and  (1854),  265 
struggle  over,  in  Kansas,  266-268 
Seward's  "  Higher  Law"  and,  261 
Republican  party  opposes  extension  of,  266, 

274 
Dred  Scott  decision  and  (1857),  268,  269 
assault  on  Charles  Sumner  and,  268 
John  Brown's  raid  and  (1859),  273 
general  question  of  extension  of,  213,  230,  249, 

259,  265,  269,  274 


INDEX 


xcv 


Slavery,  declining  political  power  of  (1848- 1860), 
274  (and  note),  279 

Republican  party  pledged  to  shut,  out  of  ter- 
ritories, 266,  274 

election  of  Lincoln  and,  274 

the  enemy  of  the  Union,  277,  279 

leads  to  secession  (i860),  277 

the  "  corner  stone  "  of  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy, 277  (note) 

brings  on  Civil  War  (1861),  277,  301 

North  would  not  interfere  with,  at  the  South, 
281 

General  Butler  and  the  "contrabands"  (1861), 
284 

Fremont's  proclamation  of  emancipation, 
287  (note) 

Lincoln's  letter  to  Greeley  about,  303  (note) 

proclamation  of  emancipation  (1863),  301 

three  constitutional  amendments  and  (1865- 
1870),  301,  333    ,        ■ 

emancipation  an  advantage  to  the  South,  302, 

352-353 
See  also  Abolition,  Anti-slavery,  Free  Soil, 
Fugitive  Slaves,  Reconstruction, and  Slaves 
Slaves,  first  brought  to  Virginia  (1619),  52 
number  of,  in  1763,  124 
how  counted  in  representation,  173  (note) 
importation  forbidden  (1808),  173  (note),  198 
insurrection  of  (183 1),  229 
emancipated  (1863),  301 
See  also  Slavery 
Slaves,  American  sailors  held  as,  in  Tripoli,  193 
Slidell  (sly-del')  and  Mason,  290 
Smith,  Captain  John  (1607),  45,  46,  47 
Smith,  Joseph,  founder  of  the  Mormons  (1830), 

241.   See  also  Mormons 
Smuggling  by  the  colonists,  126,  139 
Snake,  Franklin's,  119 

Soil,  Free,  party,  259,  262  (note).   See  also  Polit- 
ical parties 
Soil,  conservation  of  the,  395.    See  also  Agricul- 
ture, Crops,  Drainage,  Farms,  Irrigation,  and 
Land 
Songs,  political  and  national,  121,  143,  188,  207, 
245,  266,  273,  339 
Confederate,    in   the    Civil   War,    300,    314 

(note) 
Union,  in  the  Civil  War,  273,  298,  308,  320 

(note) 
See  also  Poems  of  American  History 
"Sons  of  Liberty"  (Revolution),  139 
South,  in  the  colonial  period,  41-58,  89-93,  97- 
101,  106-108,  128,  130.   See  also  Colonies 
the,  in  the  Revolution,  137,  139,  140,  141,  144, 

146,  163,  164,  165,  166-169 
and  slavery,  52.   See  also  Slavery 
cotton  raising  in  the,  351.   See  also  Cotton 
why  the,  wanted  new  slave  states,  259 
dreaded  emancipation  of  negroes,  259,  274 
loss  of  political  power  by  the  (1848-1860),  274 

(note) 
nullification  in  the,  189,  231,  232,  234 
South  Carolina  secedes  (i860),  276 
ten  other  states  secede,  276,  284.    See  also 

Secession 
Southern  Confederacy  formed  (1861),  276 
Civil  War  begins,  277,  281.   See  also  Wars 
reconstruction  of  the  seceded  states  (1866- 

1870),  332,  340.   See  also  Reconstruction 
withdrawal  of  Union  troops  from  the,  345 
the  "  solid  South,"  346 
progress  of,  since  the  war,  351,  352 
the  "New  South,"  351 


South,  negro  suffrage  in  the,  331,  333.    See  also 
Suffrage 

restriction  of  negro  suffrage  in  the,  333,  341, 
37i 

in  the  war  with  Spain,  383 
Sovereignty,  Popular,  260 
Specie  payment,  resumption  of,  348 
"  Spoils  system  "  established  (1829),  227 

denounced  by  eminent  men,  228 

abolished  (1883-        ),  349 

See  also  Civil  Service  Reform 
"Spot  Resolutions,"  Lincoln's  (1847),  252  (note) 
Stagecoach  to  California  (1862),  336 
Stamp  Act  (Revolution,  1765),  136,  137 

protest  against  the,  137 

repealed  (1766),  137 
Stamp  Act  Congress  (1765),  137 
Standard  Oil  Company,  272,  357 
Standish,  Captain  Myles  (colonial  period),  69 
Stanton,  Secretary,  and  President  Johnson,  333 
Stark,  General,  and  the  Indians,  36 

in  the  Revolution,  158 
Star  of  the  West  fired  on  (Civil  War),  277 
"  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  song,  207 
"Stars  and  Bars"  (Confederate  flag),  277 
"  Stars  and  Stripes,"  159  (and  note).  See  also  Flag 
State  constitutions  revised  (1890-1898),  371 
.State,  the,  "indestructible, "1330 
State  legislation,  "  initiative  "  and  "  referendum," 

371  (note) 
"State  Rights,"  234,  277 
State  Sovereignty,  234,  277 

States,  admitted  to  the  Union.    See  Table  of 
States  in  Appendix 

secession  of,  274.   See  also  Secession 

reconstruction  of,  330.   See  also  Reconstruc- 
tion 

declared  "indestructible"  (1868),  330 

total  number  now,  397 

See  also  Constitutions,  Laws,  Union,  United 
States 
Statue  of  George  III  pulled  down  (Revolution),  1 52 
Statue  of  Liberty,  357 
Statutes  or  laws.   See  Laws 
Steam  shovels,  393 

Steam  wagons  or  locomotives  (1830),  222,  223 
Steamboat,  Fitch's  (1787),  197  (note) 

Fulton's  (1807),  197 

in  the  West  (1811-1818),  198,  234 

first  ocean  steamer  (18 19),  198 
Steamships,  first  one  to  cross  Atlantic  (1819),  198 

first  regular  line  of  steamships  (1840),  243 

modern  steamships,  244 
Steel  manufacture,  357,  367 
Steele,  Mrs.,  in  the  Revolution,  166 
Stephens,  Alexander  H.,  276  (note),  277  (note) 
Steuben  (stoo'ben),  Baron  (Revolution),  157 
Stewart,  the  Peggy,  burned  (1774),  139 
Stocks,  punishment  by  the,  130 
"Stonewall"  Jackson,  General  (Confederate),  255. 

See  also  Jackson 
Stores,  great  department,  357 
Stowe,  Mrs.  H.  B.,  authoress,  261 
Strahan,  Franklin's  letter  to,  146,  147 
Strikes,  some  great,  346 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railway  (1877),  346 

the  Chicago  (1886),  356 

the  Homestead  (1892),  362 

the  Pullman  (1894),  365 

the  hard  coal  (1902),  "390 

in  general,  355,  356 

efforts  to  do  away  with,  395 

See  also  Labor 


XCV1 


LEADING  FACTS   OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


Stuart,  General  (Confederate),  298 
Stuyvesant  (sti've-sant),  Governor  (colonial  pe- 
riod), 62-64 
Subtreasuries  of  the  United  States,  241  (note) 
Suffrage,  right  of  (colonial  period),  81,  83,  104 

restricted  (colonial  period),  50,  62,  73,  95 

granted  to  negroes,  33 1,  333 

negro,  restricted  in  South,  333,  341,  371 

■white,  restricted  in  South,  331 

and  the  "  Solid  South,"  346 

and"  initiative"  and  "  referendum,"  371  (note) 

and  the  "  Dorr  rebellion,"  246 

and  the  Australian  or  secret  ballot,  363 

woman,  360  (and  note) 

what  Americans  can  do  by  their  vote,  370,  400 

See  also  Ballot  and  Vote 
Sumner,  Charles,  262,  268 

assaulted  in  the  Senate,  268 
Sumter,  Fort  (Civil  War),  281.   See  also  Battles 
Sumter,  General  (Revolution),  164,  167 
Suspension  Bridge,  the  Brooklyn,  349 
Sutter  (soo'ter),  Captain,  256 
Swedes  settle  Delaware  (1638),  96 

at  the  West,  2  (note) 

See  also  Northmen 

Taft,  William  H.,  life  of,  399  (note) 
elected  President,  399 

Taney  (taw'ne),  Chief  Justice,  269 

Tariff,  the  first  (1789),  179 

tariff  legislation  in  general,  231  (note) 

first  high  protective  (1816),  208 

North  and  South  disagree  about,  212,  213 

Clay's  high  protective  (1824,  1828,  1832),  231 

the,  of  "Abominations"  (182S),  231 

and  nullification  (1832),  232 

Clay's  "compromise  tariff"  (1833),  234 

revenue  or  free-trade  (1846- 1860),  231  (note) 

the  McKinley  protective  (1890), 36i(and note) 

the  Wilson  (1894),  365 

the  Dingley  (1897),  366;  of  1909,  400 

Taxation,  of  the  colonies  by  England,  135-139 
what  Burke  said  about,  136 
like  shearing  a  wolf,  136 
the  colonies  resist,  136,  137,  139 
"without  representation  is  tyranny,"  137 
colonies  claim  right  of  self-taxation,  141 
the  English  Stamp  Act  (1765),  136-138 
resistance  to  the  Stamp  Act,  137-138 
repeal  of  Stamp  Act  (1766),  J38 
English  Declaratory  Act  (1766),  138 
the  Townshend  (toun'zend)  Acts  (1767),  138 
on  tea  sent  to  colonies  (1773),  139 
colonists  refuse  the  tea  (1773-1774),  139 
England  offers  representation  with  (1778),  161 

Taxation  by  the  United  States  (1789),  179.    See 
also  Tariff 
on  foreign  vessels  (1789),  179 
on  whisky  (1794),  186 
in  the  Civil  War  (1861-1865),  286 
in  war  with  Spain  (1908),  374 

Taylor,  General  Z.,  in  Indian  wars,  237 
in  Mexican  War,  252,  253 
life  of,  258  (note) 
presidency  of,  258 

"Tea  Party,"  the  Boston  (1773),  139 

Tea  ship  Peggy  Stewart  burned  (1774),  139 

Tea,  taxed,  the  colonists  refuse  (Revolution),  139 

Tecumseh's  (te-cum'seh)  conspiracy,  200 

Telegraph,  invented  (1844),  247 

first  public  message  by  (1844),  247 
Atlantic  cable  laid  (1858),  247 
Atlantic  cable  relaid  (1866),  247,  334 


Telegraph,  the  wireless,  invented  (1896),  248 

Pacific  cable  laid  (1902),  334,  391 

message  sent  by  wireless  to  Europe  (1903),  391 

consolidation  of  lines,  357 

See  also  Samuel  Morse 
Telephone  invented  (1876),  247,  343 

the  long-distance,  343 

the  wireless,  experiments  with  (1908),  343 
Temperance  cause,  the,  224,  225  (and  note) 

prohibition  in  Georgia  (colonial  period),  107, 
108 

first  temperance  society  (1826),  224 

prohibition  in  Maine  (185 1),  225 

recent  restrictions  on  liquor  traffic,  225 

See  also  Drinking  Habits  and  Prohibition 
Tennessee  settled  (1769),  183 
Tenure  of  Office  Act  (1867),  333.   See  also  Laws 
Territory  acquired  by  United  States  (1803-1898), 
381-382 

Louisiana  (1803),  193 

Florida  (1819),  211 

Texas  (1845),  249,  255  (note) 

Oregon  (1846),  252 

Mexican  cessions,  California,  etc.  (1848),  255 
(and  note) 

Gadsden  Purchase  (1853),  255 

Alaska  (1867),  334 

Hawaii  (hah-wy'ee)  (1898),  378-380 

Porto  Rico,  Philippines,  etc.  (1898),  380 
Territory  acquired  1803-1861,  278,  279 

summary   of   territory  acquired   1803- 1898, 
380-382 
Territory,  ordinance  for  government  of  North- 
west (1787),  170,  172,  211 

controversy  over  extension  of  slavery  to  free, 
212,  213,  259,  266 

See    also    Emancipation,    Fugitive    Slaves, 
Kansas-Nebraska  Act,  Missouri  Compro- 
mise, Popular   Sovereignty,  Slavery,  and 
Wilmot  Proviso 
Texas  claimed  by  United  States  (1803),  211 

claim  given  up  (1819),  211 

annexed  (1845),  249 

and  the  Mexican  War  (1846),  252,  255 

money  paid  for,  255  (note) 
Thomas,  General  (Union),  292,  308,  309,  321 
Ticonderoga  taken  by  Ethan  Allen  (Revolution), 
144 

guns  obtained  from  (Revolution),  148 

retaken  by  the  British,  157 
Tilden-Hayes'  disputed  election  (1876),  345 
"Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too,"  song,  245 
Tobacco  discovered  in  Virginia  (1585),  29,  39 

Queen  Elizabeth  tries  a  little,  29 

cultivation  of,  begins  in  Virginia  (161 2),  48-50 

used  as  money  in  Virginia,  48 

exportation  of,  from  Virginia,  48,  56,  126 

what  it  did  for  Virginia,  48 

value  of  the  crop  now,  48  (note) 
Tohopeka  (to-ho-pee'kah),  205 
Toleration  Act  (1649),  90-91.   See  also  Laws 

repealed,  91 
Toleration,  religious,  none  formerly,  72,  75 

extended,  81 

See  also  Laws  and  Religious  Liberty 
Tonnage  Act  (1789),  179.  See  also  Laws 
Topeka  (to-pe'kah),  267 

Tories  of  the  Revolution,  141,  149,  157,  158,  163 
Town  meeting  in  the  colonies,  70,  73,  126 

local  government  by,  70,  73,  126 

what  Jefferson  said  about,  73 
Townshend  (toun'zend)  Acts  (1767),  138.   See  also 
Laws  of  Parliament 


INDEX 


xcvn 


Trade,  Europe's,  with  the  Indies,  4 
Columbus  seeks,  with  the  Indies,  4 
enlarged  by  discovery  of  America,  39 
Cabot  seeks  trade  route  to  Indies,  15 
Drake  seeks  trade  route  to  the  Indies,  28 
colonists  seek  trade  route  to  the  Indies,  44 
foreign,  of  the  colonies,  44,  48,  56,  59,  71,  73, 

82,  100,  108,  125 
restrictions  on,  55 
Trade,  foreign  slave,  in  early  times,  53 
prohibited  in  1808,  173  (note),  198 
See  also  Cotton,  Fish,  Furs,  Lumber,  Naval 
Stores,  Rice,  Tobacco,  Turpentine 
Trade  of  United  States,  restrictions  on  (1783- 
1787),  171 
embargo  on  (1807),  196 
temporarily  reopened  with  England(i8cx)),  199 
great  increase  in  our  foreign,  367,  389 
See  also  Bounties,  Commerce,  Exports,  Inter- 
state Commerce,   Manufactures,  Naviga- 
tion Acts,  Railway  Rate  Act,  and  Tariffs 
Transportation  cheapened  by  canals,  221.     See 
also  Canals,  Commerce,  Interstate  Commerce, 
Exports,  Express,  Railway  Rate  Act,  Railways, 
Roads,  Steamboats,  Steamships 
Transportation  Act  (1774),  140  (note).    See  also 

Laws  of  Parliament 
Travel  (colonial  period),  129 

modern,  215,  243,  244,  343,  344,  39 1 
Treason,  Benedict  Arnold  guilty  of,  165 

Burr  tried  for,  196 
Treasury,  independent  United  States  (1846),  240, 
241  (and  note).   See  also  Subtreasuries,  United 
States 
Treaties,  Pilgrims  with  Indians  (162 1),  70,  79 
Quakers  with  Indians  (1674),  65 
Penn  with  Indians  (1682),  104  (and  note) 
what  Voltaire  said  about,  104  (note) 
England  with  France  (1763),  123 
United  States  with  France  (1778),  160 
United  States  with  England  (1783),  170 
United  States  with  Indians  (1795),  183 
Jay's,  with  England  (1795),  186 
United  States  with  Spain  (1795),  186 
United  States   with    France  for   Louisiana 

(1803),  193 
United  States  with  Tripoli  (1805),  193 
United  States  with  England  (18 14),  207 
United  States  with  Spain  for  Florida  (1819), 

211 
United  States  with  England  (1842),  246 
United  States  with  England  (1846),  252 
United  States  with  Mexico  (1848),  255 
United  States  with  Mexico  (1853),  255 
United  States  with  Japan  (1854),  264,  265 
United  States  with  Russia  for  Alaska  (1867), 

334 
United  Stateswith  F.ng\and(A/<z6ama  claims) 

(1871),  344 
United  States  with  Hawaii  (1898),  378-380 
United  States  with  Spain  (1898),  378,  380 
Hague  Peace  Conference  (1901),  388 
recent  arbitration  (1907-1908),  396 
various  boundary,   246,  252,  255.    See  also 
Table  of  Boundaries  in  Appendix 
Tree  planting  encouraged,  386.   See  also  Forests 
Trent  Affair,  the  (Civil  War),  290 
Tribute  paid  to  Tripoli,  193 

Tripoli  gives  up  demand  for,  193 
Tripoli  (trip'o-le),  war  with  (1801),  193 
"Trusts,"  defined,  356  (note) 
organized,  356,  357 
condemned  by  Wilson  tariff,  365 


"Trusts,"  laws  concerning,  357 

government  regulation  of,  357 
Truxtun,  Commodore,  193 
Tulane  (too-lane'),  Paul,  353  (note) 
Tunnels,  New  York  City,  350 
Tweed,  "  Boss,"  341 
Tyler,  John,  becomes  President,  245 

quarrels  with  Congress,  246 
Typewriter,  first  practical  (1876),  343 

"Uncle  Billy,"  etc.  (Civil  War),  324 
"  Uncle  Sam  is  rich  enough,"  song,  339 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  (1852),  261 
"  Unconditional  Surrender  "  Grant,  294  (note) 
"  Underground  Railroad  "  and  slavery,  261 
Union  of  American  colonies,  38 
effect  of  Indian  wars  on,  38 
the  New  England  Confederation  (1643),  76 
attempts  at  forming,  in  1754,  119 
dread  of,  by  England,  120 
Union  of  the  American  states  (1776),  150,  152 
Articles  of  Confederation  (1781),  170 
critical  period  of  the  (1781-1787),  171-173 
under  the  Constitution  (1788),  173,  175 
doubt  whether  it  could  embrace  the  Far  West, 

192 
nullification  and  the  (1798-1799),  189 
nullification  in  South  Carolina  and  the  (1832), 

232,  234 
threats  of  secession  from  the  (1833),  232 
Webster's  speech  in  behalf  of  the,  232 
"  Liberty  and  Union,"  330 
Jackson  determines  to  save  the,  234 
the,  vs.  State  Sovereignty,  234,  277 
endangered  by  slavery,  259 
denounced  by  Garrison,  228 
the  war  to  save  the,  inevitable,  279 
Lincoln  on  the,  281 

Lincoln's  letter  on  saving  the,  303  (note) 
what  the  Civil  War  settled  concerning  the,  330 
"an  indestructible  Union  composed  of  in- 
destructible states,"  330 
the,  and  reconstruction,  330-332,  340 
effect  of  railways  on  the,  337 
what  the  Union  offers,  400 
See  also  America,  Constitutions,  Flag,  Nullifi- 
cation, Reconstruction,  Secession,  Slavery, 
United  States,  and  Wars 
"Unite  or  die,"  119 

United  States,  independence  declared  (1776),  150 
in  the  Revolution.   See  Revolution 
independence  secured  (1783),  170 
Articles  of  Confederation  (1781),  170 
critical  period  of  (1781-1787),  171-173 
Constitution  of  the  (1788),  173-175 
government  organized  (1789),  178-179 
growth  of  (1776-1900),  380-382,  399 
growth  of  cities  of,  278,  279 
"trusts"  and  corporations  of,  356 
revenue  and  expenditures,  396 
wealth  of,  386,  401 
debt  of,  335  (note) 

area  of,  382  (and  note),  399  (and  note) 
population  of,  389,  401 
natural  resources  of,  31,  113,  395,  401 
deposits  in  savings  banks  in,  386 
civil  service  of,  349  (note) 
annual  fire  losses  in,  341 
great  disasters  in,  341,  396,  397 
present  condition  of,  399,  400 
is  a  "  world  power,"  381 
what  people  of,  are  trying  to  do,  393-396 
advantages  offered  by  the,  399-400 


xcviii       LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


United  States  means  "Opportunity,"  39,  400 
See  also  Agriculture,  America,  Army,  Banks, 
Battles,  Canals,  Census,  Cities,  Civil  Serv- 
ice, Commerce,  Congress,  Constitutions, 
Debt,  Education,  Exports,  Forests,  Geog- 
raphy, Gifts,  Immigration,  Inventions, 
Labor,  Land,  Laws,  Literature,  Manufac- 
tures, Money,  Navy,  Negroes,  Nullifica- 
tion, Pensions,  Political  Parties,  Population, 
Presidents,  Railways,  Reconstruction,  Re- 
ligion, Representation,  Resources,  Reve- 
nue, Secession,  Slavery,  States,  Suffrage, 
Tariff,Territory,Treaties,"Trusts,"  Union, 
Wars,  Wealth 
University,  Harvard,  founded  (1636),  75-76,   See 

also  Colleges,  Education,  Gifts,  Schools 
Utah,  settled  by  Mormons  (1847),  242 
prosperity  of,  242 
woman  suffrage  in,  360 
See  also  Mormons  and  Salt  Lake  City 

Valley  Forge,  Washington  at  (Revolution),  159 

sufferings  at  (Revolution),  161 
Van  Buren,  Martin,  life  of,  239  (note) 

presidency  of,  239 
Van   Rensselaer   (van  ren'se-lar)  estates,   New 

York,  61 
Van  Rensselaer  and  the  anti-renters,  246 
Venango  (ve-nan'go),  117 
Venezuela    (ven-e-zwe'lah)    boundary    question 

(1895,  1896),  365 
Vera  Cruz  (ver'ah  krooz),  254 
Vermont,  82 

"Green  Mountain  Boys  "of  (Revolution),  144, 
'58 

See  also  Ethan  Allen  and  General  Stark 
Verrazano's  (ver-atz-ah'no)  expedition  (1524),  22 

(note) 
Vespucci's,  Amerigo  (a-ma-ree'go  ves-poot'che), 
voyages  (1499- 1503),  16 

America  named  from  him  (1507),  16 
Veto,  the  President's,  331  (note) 
Vetoes,   presidential,   230  (and  note),  331  (and 

note),  347 
Vicksburg,  siege  of  (Civil  War),  307.    See  also 

Battles 
Vigilance  Committee  in  California,  257 
Vinland  discovered  (1000),  3 
Virginia,  Raleigh  sends  expedition  to  (1584),  28 

named  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  28 

Raleigh  attempts  to  colonize  (1585),  28 

his  second  attempt  (1587),  30 

first  white  child  born  in,  30 

desire  of  the  English  to  go  to,  41 

charter  of  Virginia  Company  (1606),  44-45 

extent  of,  44 

form  of  government  of,  44 

permanent  settlement  of  (1607),  45 

settlers  lived  out  of  common  stock,  45 

grants  of  lands  in,  48 

cultivation  of  tobacco  begins  (1612),  48 

representative  assembly  established  (1619),  50 

slavery  begins  in  (1619),  52 

women  sent  put  to,  52 

white  apprentices  in,  53 

convicts  sent  to,  54 

Cavaliers  in,  55 

Navigation  Laws  in  (1660),  55 

given  to  Arlington  and  Culpepper  (1673),  56 

Indian  war  in  (1676),  57 

Bacon's  Rebellion  (1676),  57 

Jamestown  burned  (1676),  57 

Patrick  Henry's  speech  (1765),  I37 


Virginia,  Washington  m  Continental  Congress 
(1774).  141 
declares  itself  independent  (1776),  58,  150 
Cornwallis  surrenders  at  Yorktown  ( 1 78 1),  167 
secedes  from  the  Union  (1861),  284 
western  Virginia  refuses  to  secede,  284 
state  of  West  Virginia  formed  (1863),  284 
Virginia  and  Kentucky  Resolutions  (1798-1799), 

189 
Virginia  Dare,  birth  of,  30 
Voltaire  on  Penn's  treaty,  104  (note) 
Volunteers  in  war  for  the  Union  (1S61),  283,  298 
in  war  with  Spain  (1908),  374 
See  also  Army  and  Wars 
Vote,  your,  370,  400.   See  also  Suffrage 
Voyages,  early,  to  America  (see  map),  29 
Leif  Ericson's  (1000),  2-3 
Columbus'  (1492),  10,  12 
Cabot's  (1497),  15,  16 
Vespucci's  (1499-1503),  16 
Magellan's,  around  the  globe"(i 5 19-1522),  18 
Drake's,  around  the  globe  (1577- 1580),  28 
the  Mayflower  (1620),  69-70 
first  steamer  to  Europe  (1819),  198 
United  States  battle  ships  around  the  world 
(1907),  360,  398 

Waldseemiiller's  (valt'za-mul-ler)  map  (1507),  19 

(note) 
Wall  Street,  money  center  of  America,  63,  369, 

Wampum,  Indian  (colonial  period),  34,  35 

belt  given  to  Penn,  34 
Wars  (colonial   period),    French    and    Spanish, 
Florida  (1565),  26 

colonists  with  Indians  (1626),  -ji 

colonists  with  Pequots  (1637),  85 

Dutch  with  Swedes  (1654),  97 

English  with  Dutch  (1664),  64 

colonists  with  "King  Philip"  (1675),  79.  87 
(note) 

colonists  with  Indians  (1676),  56,  57 

colonists  with   French  and   Indians  (1689- 
1763),  1 14-124 

"  King  William's  War"  (1680),  114 

"Queen  Anne's  War"  (1702),  115 

"  King  George's  War"  (1744),  115 

Georgia  with  Spaniards  (1750),  10S 

"  French  and  Indian  War"  (1754),  116 

results  of  wars  with   French  and   Indians 
(1689-1763),  123 

Pontiac's  conspiracy  (1763),  122 
Wars  (Revolution)   (i775-I7^3)>    142.     See   also 

Battles  and  Revolution 
Wars  (since  the  Revolution  to  1865),  with  Indians 
(1791-1795),  183 

with  France  (1798),  188 

wjth  Tripoli  (1801),  103 

with  Tecumseh  (i8ri),  200 

with  England  (1812-1814),  201,  208,  209 

causes  of  War  of  18 12,  201 

results  of  War  of  18 12,  208 

with  Creek  Indians  (18 14),  205 

first  Seminole  War  (1818),  210 

"  Black  Hawk  War"  (1832),  236 

rccond  Seminole  War  (1835),  236 

Mexican  War  (1846- 1848),  252 

cause  of  the  Mexican  War,  252  (and  note) 

results  of  Mexican  War,  255 

Civil  War  (186 1- 1 865),  281 

cause  of  the  Civil  War,  277,  279,  301 

first  gun  in  the  war,  282 

rising  of  the  North,  283 


INDEX 


XC1X 


Wars  (since  the  Revolution  to  1865),  first  blood 
shed  in  the  Civil  War,  283 
North  and  South  in  the,  284,  326 
Union  plan  for,  289 
McClellan  organizes  Union  army,  289 
how  money  was  raised  for,  285,  288,  326 
navy  in  the,  289,  290,  291,  294,  295,  296,  312, 

318 
blockade  in  the,  289,  318 
number  of  men  engaged  in,  325  (note) 
loss  of  life  in,  325 
cost  of  the  war,  325,  326,  335 
end  of  the  war,  324,  325 
what  the  war  settled,  330 
grand  review  at  close  of  war,  329 
disbanding  the  army  of  the,  328,  329 
See  also  Army,  Battles,  Blockade,  Farragut, 

Grant,  Johnston,  Lee,  McClellan,  Navy, 

Sherman,  Thomas 
Wars  (from  1865  to  present  time),  with  Modoc 
Indians  (1872),  344 
with  Sioux  (soo)  Indians  (1876),  344 
with  Spain  (1898),  374 
cause  of  war  with  Spain,  373-374 
money  raised  for,  374 
cost  of,  383 
loss  of  life  in,  383 
navy  in,  374,  376,  377,  378 
"  Red  Cross  "  work  in,  383 
every  battle  an  American  victory,  255,  378 
results  of  the  war,  378,  380,  381,  383 
Union  and  Confederate  veterans  in,  383 
new  territory  acquired  by  the  war,  380 
See,  in  general,  Wars,  Army,  Battles,  Navy, 

Peace,  Territory,  Treaties 
Wars,  enormous  cost  of,  396  (and  note),  403 

General  Grant's  condemnation  of  the  Mexi- 
can War,  255  (note) 
sometimes  unavoidable,  140,  141,  193,  279 
efforts  to  diminish  number  of,  396,  403 
See  also  Arbitration,  Disputes,  and  Peace 
Washington,  Booker  T.,  341 
Washington,  George,  early  life  of,  118  (note) 
descent  of,  55 

cuts  his  name  on  Natural  Bridge,  118 
sent  with  message  to  the  French  (1753),  118 
his  interest  in  the  West,  118,  119 
accompanies  Braddock's  expedition  (1755), 

120 
builds  Fort  Necessity,  119 
is  driven  out  by  the  French,  119 
helps  take  Fort  Duquesne  (1758),  121 
member  of  First  Continental  Congress  (1774), 

141 
commander  of  the  Continental  army  (1775), 

144,  146 
raises  flag  at  Cambridge  (1775),  159  (note) 
what  he  said  of  independence,  149 
drives  the  British  out  of  Boston  (1776),  148 
at  New  York  City,  153,  154 
saves  Putnam's  army,  154 
retreats  northward,  154 
and  the  false-hearted  Lee,  154,  155 
retreats  across  New  Jersey,  155 
crosses  the  Delaware,  155 
recrosses  the  Delaware,  155 
gains  the  battle  of  Trenton  (1776),  155 
Morris  raises  money  for  (1777),  156 
gains  the  victory  of  Princeton  (1777),  157 
worries  General  Howe,  159 
at  Brandywine  Creek,  159 
at  German  town,  159 
retreats  to  Valley  Forge,  159 


Washington,  George,  and  Benjamin  Franklin,  161 
sufferings  of  army  at  Valley  Forge,  161 
and  Lafayette,  157 
wins  battle  of  Monmouth  (1778),  162 
rebukes  the  traitorous  Lee,  162 
and  Arnold's  treason  (1780),  165 
terrible  winter  at  Morristown,  165 
Morris  helps  again  with  money,  168 
wins  the  great  victory  of  Yorktown  (1781), 

169 
"  The  World 's  Upside  Down,"  169 
end  of  the  Revolutionary  War  (1781),  169 
in  the  Constitutional  Convention  (1787),  173 
elected  President  (1788),  177 
inaugurated  in  New  York  (1789),  178 
forms  his  cabinet,  178 
Proclamation  of  Neutrality  (1793),  182 
signs  Jay's  Treaty  with  England  (1795),  187 
abused  by  certain  newspapers,  187 
his  farewell  address  (1797),  187 
his  death  (1799),  189,  190 

Washington,  D.  C.,  made  national  capital  (1800), 
177,  192 
captured  by  British  (1814),  205 
partly  burned  by  British  (1814),  205,  209 
review  of  Union  armies  in  (1865),  329 
Library  of  Congress  in,  368 

Wayne,  General  (Revolution),  164 

in  Ohio,  war  with  Indians  (1791-1795),  183 

Wealth  of  the  United  States,  386,  401 

natural  riches  of  the  United  States,  31,  395 
efforts  to  conserve  the  natural,  31,  395 
use  of,  for  the  public  good,  387 
See  also  Gifts 

"We  are  coming,  Father  Abraham,"  song,  298 

"  We  cross  the  prairies,"  song,  266 

Weather,  effect  of,  in  war,  297,  316 

Weather  Bureau  established  (1870),  341 
services  rendered  by  the,  341 

Webster,  Daniel,  life  of,  83  (note),  232  (note) 
denounces  the  "  spoils  system,"  228 
address  at  Bunker  Hill  (1825),  218  (and  note) 
replies  to  Calhoun,  232 
replies  to  Hayne  (1830-1833),  232,  330 
denounces  talk  about  secession,  232 
upholds  the  Union,  232,  330 
our  debt  to,  232,  234 
Webster-Ashburton  Treaty  (1842),  246 
supports  compromise  measures  (1850),  260 
supports  Fugitive-Slave  Law  (1850),  260  (and 

note) 
denounced  by  John  Quincy  Adams,  260 
defended  by  Horace  Greeley,  260 
his  death,  262 

Webster's,  Noah,  dictionary,  238  (and  note) 

Wells,  Dr.  Horace,  248  (note) 

Wesley,  John,  in  Georgia  (colonial  period),  107 

West,  Spanish  explorations  in,  23-25 
Coronado's  expedition  (1540),  24-25 
De  Soto  discovers  the  Mississippi  (1541),  24 
French  Catholic  missionaries  in  the  (1615- 

1669),  109 
Joliet  and   Marquette   on    the    Mississippi 

(1673),  109      _ 
Father  Hennepin  in  the  (1680),  112 
La  Salle's  expedition  (1680-1682),  112 
La  Salle  claims  Louisiana  (1682),  112 
French  build  forts  in  the,  no,  113,  117 
Pittsburg  the  "Gateway  of  the  West,"  117, 

119 
French  fight  to  hold  the,  119,  120,  121 
Ohio  Company  and  the,  1 17 
Washington's  interest  in  the,  1 18 


LEADING  FACTS  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


West,  condition  of  the,  in  1763,  124 

the  wilderness  of  the,  124,  183,  192,  195,  242, 

279.  339 
the  Wilderness  Road  in  the,  183 
in  the  Revolution,  162 
George  Rogers  Clark's  victories  in,  163 
early  emigration  to  the,  183 
Daniel  Boone  in  the,  183 
Ordinance   for  Northwest  Territory  (1787), 

170,  172,  211 
Indian  wars  in  Ohio,  183 
settlements  made  in  Ohio,  183 
purchase  of  Louisiana  Territory  (1803),  193 
desire  to  reach  the,  215 
the  steamboat  and  the,  198,  234 
the  National  Road  and  the,  215,  216 
the  Erie  Canal  and  the,  221,  222 
rapid  growth  of  the,  216,  234,  236,  237,  264 
immigration  and  the,  243,  244,  338 
Oregon  added  to  the  (1846),  251,  252 
Mormons  emigrate  to  Utah  (1847),  242 
Mexican  land  cessions  in  the  (1848),  255 
westward   movement  of   population  (1790- 

1900),  180 
emigration  to  California  (1849),  256,  257 
effect  of  agricultural  machinery  on  the,  264, 

34° 
general  growth  of  the,  278,  279,  338,  339,  365, 

383-385,  392 
effect  of  railways  on  the,  338 
effect  of  liberal  land  laws  on  the,  338 
the  "  New  West,"  365 
great  farms  in  the,  264,  339,  383,  385 
irrigation  in  the,  242,  384  (note),  385,  395 
western  lands,  400 
exhibitions  in  the,  363,  383,  392 
See  also  Agriculture,  Cities,  Crops,  Emigra- 
tion, Farms,"  Indian  Wars,  Kansas,  Land, 
Mines,  Railways,  Slavery,  Territories 
West  Indies,  why  so  named,  12 
commerce  with  the,  135 
See  also  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico 
West  Virginia,  284,  287 
Western  Union  Telegraph,  357 
Wheat  crops,  great,  385 
Wheelwright,  Rev.  John,  82 
Whigs,  origin  of  the  (1834),  238 

advocate    United    States    Bank,    238,    245 

(note) 
Henry  Clay,  leader  of  the,  238 
"Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too"  (1840),  245 
elect  Harrison  and  Tyler  (1840),  245 
their  political  principles,  245  (note) 
compared  with  the  Democrats,  245  (note) 
elect  Taylor  President  (1848),  258  (note) 
and  Fugitive-Slave  Law  of  1850,  262  (note) 
death  of  the  party  (1852),  262  (note) 
Whisky  Rebellion  (1794),  186 
White  apprentices  (colonial  period),  53 
"  White  Apron  Brigade  "  (colonial  period),  57 
Whitefield  (whiffield),  Rev.  George,  107 

upholds  slavery,  108 
Whitman,  Dr.,  and  Oregon,  250,  251 
Whitney,  Eli,  invents  cotton  gin  (1793),  184 
Whittier,  the  poet,  238 


Wilderness  of  the  West,  124,  183,  192,  195,  242, 

279,  339 
Wilderness,  battles  of  the,  310.   See  also  Battles 
"Wilderness  Road,"  183.    See  also  Roads 
Wilkes  (wilks)  (Union  navy),  290 
Will,  Jonathan  Edwards  on  the,  131 
William  and  Mary  College  (1693),  75 
Williams,  Roger,  banished  (163c),  74, 

belief  in  "soul  liberty,"  74 

why  driven  out,  74 

founds  Providence  (1636),  94 

establishes  entire  religious  liberty,  95 

secures  a  charter  for  Rhode  Island,  95 
Wilmot  Proviso  (pro-vi'zo)  and  slavery  (1848),  259 
Wilson,  Woodrow,  elected  President,  404 
Winslow,  Captain  (Union  navy),  312 
Winter  quarters  of  General  Washington,  157,  161, 

165 
Winthrop,   Governor  (colonial   period),  72  (and 

note) 
Wireless  telegraph,  248,  391.   See  also  Telegraph 
Wireless  telephone,  343.   See  also  Telephone 
Wirz  (virtz),  325  (note) 
Witchcraft,  the  Salem  (1692),  80 
Wolfe  (wolf),  General,  takes  Quebec  (1759),  121 
Woman  suffrage,  360 
Women  sent  to  Virginia  (colonial  period),  52 

and  the  Revolution,  166 

and  the  Civil  War,  326 

and  war  with  Spain,  383  (and  note) 

and  "  Red  Cross  "  work,  383 

occupations  open  to,  360 

education  of,  360 

woman  suffrage,  360  (and  note) 

in  Wyoming,  360 
Woods  or  forests,  preservation  of,  385,  386  (and 
note),  395.    See  also  Forests  and  Tree  Planting 
Woolen  mills,  208 
Worcester  (woos'ter),  172 
"World  power,"  the  United  States  a,  381 
World's  fairs  or  exhibitions,  263,  342,  363,  392. 

See  also  Exhibitions 
"World's  Upside  Down"  (British  tune),  169 
Worship,  freedom  of,  95.   See  also  Religious  Lib- 
erty 
Writs  of  Assistance  (colonial  period),  135,  137 
Wyoming,  massacre  of  (Revolution),  163 
Wyoming  and  woman  suffrage,  360 

and  women  in  legislature,  360 

"  X.  Y.  Z.  Papers,"  the  (1797),  188 

Yale  University  founded  (1701),  75 

"  Yankee  Doodle  "  (Revolution),  143 

Yeardley  (yeerd'ley),  Governor,  50 

"  Yes,  we  '11  rally  round  the  flag,"  song,  308 

York,  the  Duke  of,  seizes  New  Netherland  (1664), 

63 
seizes  New  Amsterdam  (1664),  63 
names  New  York,  64 
seizes  Delaware,  97 
Yorktown  taken  (1781),  169.    See  also  Battles 
Yosemite  (yo-sem'i-tee),  394 
Young,  Brigham,  and  the  Mormons,  242.    See 
also  Mormons 


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